Re: If handmade is better - why?


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Posted by Leland on September 06, 2002 at 18:30:59:

In Reply to: If handmade is better - why? posted by Volker on September 06, 2002 at 06:50:56:

A new version of the car comparison --

From what I've gathered this time, the main differences between "handmade" and "machine made" are 1) Pressed vs. hand-hammered, and 2) single skilled artisan vs. production line. To blur the distinction even more, there are assembly line factories that hand-hammer parts, and artisans who outsource some parts of their instruments. Anyways...

Now that we've mentioned "hand-tweaked", this compares, in car terms, to getting an off-the-truck Mustang with one that has been ported, polished, blueprinted, and such. Altering a tuba's valve ports can be akin to installing new headers or induction system, for example. The Cerveny 601 mods described by Joe S. (I believe) some time ago would be like doing some hefty engine "tuning" and suspension work on a car.

The master craftsman idea is still valid, too. Steve Millen has the knowledge and resources to make a car really zing, while the guy down the street might get a kick out of burning pistons. The right person could make some real advances in an instrument, while the wrong person could make it so bad that the horn would be a decoration.

So, the way I see it --

Take a good horn, have a smart instrument guru give it some tweaks, and you could wind up with a really nice piece of gear.

Does that seem about right?


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