Posted by Lonny on September 23, 1999 at 05:17:29:
In Reply to: Yet another CLUELESS parent... posted by morris schneider on September 22, 1999 at 15:31:00:
First of all, I would say you are far from clueless. The fact that you are asking questions and sifting through the information says to me you are far beyond what many people do.
I'm not sure who told you that used is a bad idea. Like you've already heard from many sources, play the horn BEFORE you fork over the cash. If you or your son don't feel qualified to play test a horn look to a trusted teacher or other player. I recently purchased a used horn (from a regular poster to this BBS) and I'm very happy with it. I'm not a pro, or anything close to it, but I DO take private lessons and play in some community bands. The horn I bought is working splendidly for me.
Did I mention it's a Yamaha YBB641? There's a lot of anti-Yamaha sentiment around here, some of it doubtless well deserved, but this horn WORKS for me. I think it's important to be realistic in your expectations of what YOU want, what your SON wants and what your goals are for his playing. I think it's terrific that you're considering buying him a horn of his own.