Posted by Ed What the Heckman on June 10, 1999 at 11:00:42:
In Reply to: Buying a Tuba: New vs. Used posted by Steve Marcus on June 10, 1999 at 06:30:35:
To me, the big advantage of buying a new horn is that it's a lot easier to find one. Used ones exist, but it may mean a lot of driving to try out just one horn. With new horns you can generally try out a bunch of different models at a dealer, something that's not always possible wih used instruments.
This is not to say that you shouldn't try out used horns at a dealer, or that used horns aren't any good. But even with dealers, their used horn stock is unpredictable. (They may have a bunch of fabulous horns one month, or a bunch of beaten up beginner horns, or none at all. But usually some mix of the above.) IMHO, it's more time consuming to find a good used horn than a new one.
Ed "What the" Heckman