Posted by Lew on May 02, 2001 at 19:59:30:
In Reply to: Looking for tuba... posted by Chris R on May 02, 2001 at 16:34:11:
The Yamaha 321 is a reasonable intermediate level horn, and $2500 is a fair price for it, especially if it is in mint condition as described. Even so, $2500 is not a trivial amount of money and you should be sure that it is what you want before making that kind of investment. First I would suggest asking yourself what your plans are for tuba playing. If you plan to go to college to study music, you should probably wait until you decide where you are going and talk to the professor(s) there.
If this is going to be a horn that you use for "hobby" playing in shcool and beyond, then the Yamaha 321 isn't a bad choice. The only thing that would have me concerned is your comment that you find it awkward to hold. If you find the Yamaha awkward, you may never "get used to it" and regret purchasing it later. I think you should try out other horns, especially front action either rotary or piston valve horns first.You should be able to find other used horns for about the same price that are just as good as the 321. Look at the Dillons and Baltimore Brass web sites and you will see a number of horns available. The Musica 2300. Jupiter 582, or King 2341 listed would all be good options for about the same price, or you could spend a little more and get a Miraphone 186 or Meinl-Weston 25.
Don't jump into this and take a little more time to at least try out some other horns to see if you find one that fits you better. If you still like the Yamaha, then go ahead. At least then you will know what the options were.