Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Is a King 2341


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Posted by Rick Denney on March 22, 2004 at 16:50:08:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Is a King 2341 posted by oh dale-ie on March 22, 2004 at 12:44:39:

It seems to me that consistency (or, more accurately, being consistently good), is a quality desired by schools, students and beginners buying instruments sight unseen.

I have played some of the Kings that had a stuffy fourth valve. Poor valve alignment or some other fault is a possibility. Others didn't have this problem. I have also played Conn 52J's that didn't impress me. I've also heard of one King that had general construction problems, and should not have made it out of the factory.

These issues of inconsistency pale by comparison to Alexanders of old. And the quality of construction of the typical King beats the stuffing out of the fit and finish of Holton 345's, most of which are owned by professionals or serious amateurs.

The point is: Perhaps inconsistency is more a hallmark of pro instruments than of cheap instruments. Pros are pickier and more demanding, and rarely buy instruments sight unseen or without careful evaluation. But pro instruments have some feature not found in amateur instruments: potential.

All else is a consideration of price point. The King doesn't get as much quality control and assurance as a similar Conn, because it's a BBb and it's therefore aimed at a lower price point.

We get into this on a photography forum I read. What is a pro camera? If it is a camera that can produce a saleable image consistently, then lots of cameras are pro cameras. If it also is built to withstand the duty cycle of commercial use, then it's perhaps a commercial camera. Not all commercial cameras made the best images. But a commercial photographer can get a consistently saleable image from just about any camera.

Mostly, the word "pro", when applied to equipment, is used to discriminate. And it is used by those who paid little and want to feel like they got a great deal, and by those who paid a lot and want to bask in the glow of superiority. That's a waste of energy.

When you apply it to people, though, the equipment suddenly doesn't really matter.

Rick "who paid for several expensive cameras with the earnings from cheap ones" Denney


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