Posted by Jay Bertolet on May 30, 2000 at 07:32:29:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Willson 3050 vs. B&S PT6 posted by sam on May 29, 2000 at 16:47:35:
Maybe I'm just out of the loop when it comes to providing an instrument manufacturer high visibility in an endorsement situation like you mention. I can only speak from my own personal experience when I say that there really is no such thing as "endorsements" influencing what tuba a player uses. I never heard of a professional player using a specific brand of equipment for any reason other than that it worked for him/her. Every player I know of plays the tuba they use only because they sound like they want to on it. I never heard of a player getting "complimentary" instruments from a manufacturer in trade for the manufacturer being allowed to use the player's name as an advertisement. And that makes some sense too, considering we're talking about a piece of equipment that costs in the 5 figure range. I imagine it would be exceptionally difficult to get a complete return on the investment of a complimentary horn considering how many you'd have to sell to recoup just the initial outlay. The same holds true for just about any tangible (cash) payment to a player for their endorsement. My guess is that the best a player could hope for would be a hand picked instrument from the factory or maybe one with certain special modifications made at no charge. You might even get a steep discount but I seriously doubt this would ever approach "free". And even considering all this, what player is willing to risk their career playing on a tuba that is less than the best they can find just so they can save themselves a few hundred dollars?
Boy, I sure do wish I could give my endorsement to a brand of tuba and have that turn into anything tangible for myself. I just don't think it plays any role in how a professional chooses what tuba he plays.
I too am curious about your statement of the PT-6's intonation, "if you play them correctly". Does that mean you have to blow in the correct end? :)
My opinion for what its worth...