Shopping WWBW v ???

[BassclefBarrister]

To start off, I have purchased 3 horn from WWBW in the past, 1 tuba and 2 euphs. All have been good purchases that I was very happy with. The tuba and my first euph was purchased with the help of Roger Lewis, who was very trustworthy and would actually go out and play-test horns for you before they were shipped. The second euph was bought through a "product specialist" who was the nicest person to deal with but who was absolutely CLUELESS in terms of brass instrument knowledge. Nonetheless, the horn, a King 2280, turned out just fine (so fine in fact that another band mate bought it from me when his old King 3 banger went to euph heaven).

Obviously, Roger is no more (at WWBW) and the retail store in South Bend is kaput. I am thinking about a new euph, perhaps a Besson Prestige, to replace my older, pre-Symphony II Sterling, which I bought as a demo from Custom in 2004. WWBW remains attractive because they do offer the 1 year payment plan with no interest - none of the other major retailers do that (SFAIK).

I'm a bit leery though because: 1) chances are that the "product specialist" may be nothing other than an order taker; 2) it's doubtful that anyone at WWBW actually checks out these horns at the warehouse before shipping, in contrast to Dillon, BBC, or a few others; 3) as essentially a warehouse, WWBW gets a batch of horns that will not be rejected and sent back by the merchant, again in contrast to the other merchants; 4) I can't get a good read on WWBW's current service record; and 5) shipping horns back and forth between Chicago and KC (?) with the attendant risk of damage and loss is not my cup of tea.

BTW: I have also purchased horns from Dillon, BBC, Hornguys, ProWinds, and Custom over the years. These are all fine sellers but (except for ProWinds) want the $$$ up front.

Pardon my rambling here. I'm a lawyer and get paid by the word. Really though, I'm just trying to get the forums feel on the current status of WWBW.

Thanks for listening.

[Eupher6]

Personally, I wouldn't want to buy any premium horn without first being able to play-test it. Roger (or anybody else for that matter) who play-tests a horn may be able to sort out obvious defects and maybe even gross intonation quirks, but Roger won't know what the ergonomics are for me, what and how the slotting works for me, what kind of chops I have, mouthpiece configuration, the list of variables is endless.

In the end, you get what you pay for. Service after the sale is important, and for that reason Dillon, Tuba Exchange, and other reputable dealers tend to work with you rather than a major box retailer like WWBW.

Don't get me wrong - I use WWBW frequently for accessories and such, but not so much to buy a premium-level horn.

That's my 0.02 zlotys.

[coolguy684]

yeah, i dont buy new horns really, but if im gonna plunk down 5k+ on a horn, i better be testing it thoroughly before any commitment. u cant beat dillons and other physical dealers in that area.

[BassclefBarrister]

I have no quarrel with any of the advice given above. I guess I'm just sharing my furstration, which I'm sure is felt by many here, of there not being any places where you CAN try professional level euphs (or tubas) in one place. For example, I contacted two of the well-known specialty dealers yesterday. Neither had a Besson Prestige in stock. In fact, they did not have any comparable brand in stock either. Everything has to be oredered from the distributor.

Moreover, it is rare for any merchant today to have available more than one or two examples of any single horn. The reason for this is understandable - how many top end euphs are sold per year? Notwithstanding, the concept of going to a dealer and choosing a horn from a batch of five or six is largely fiction.

Then, with brands like Sterling, there is one dealer - take it or leave it.

Here in the Chicago metro area, with a population of about 7,000,000, there are NO brass specialty stores. We have Music & Arts, Guitar Center, SamAsh, and a few smaller stores. None of them routinely carries the better instrumets in stock. At M&A, if you inquire about a euph, the kid behind the desk has a mental breakdown, has to consult several supervisors, and comes back with a -- TRUMPET!

What does this have to do with WWBW? Well, South BEnd is 90 miles from Chicago. When the retail store was in operation with the adjacent warehouse, you could call ahead, make an appointment, and have several versions and examples of horn available. If you could not make it, Roger would pick one out and send it to you on trial. UPS would deliver within 1 day. That is all gone now.

Please note that I am not , per se, pining for the return of WWBW. I am suggesting though, that the notioon that most folks buy thier horn after chasing around the country playing 20 or 30 of them is just not very real.

[davewerden]

Let me just add this. It is probably somewhat less necessary today than it was a couple decades ago to try several horns of the same model to get a good one. Manufacturing is gettng more consistent. If you are looking at the top brands, you have pretty good odds of getting a good horn "out of the box." Plus all horns need breaking in (my opinion, but I really really believe it) to play their best; some, even of the same model, may need more breaking in than others. So your 2nd-favorite horn when you test several identical horns may turn out every bit as good as your 1st favorite when they get broken in.

Did you know that I have not "hand selected" a horn for 20 years? Each of the Sterlings I played and the Adams I currently use came to me without prior testing. Once I broke them in, they all were good.

This summer I play to pick out my favorite model from the large variety Adams offers. But if I want model XYZ in a slightly different finish than they have on the floor, I am fully prepared to have it shipped to me, confident that it will be a good one.

So to me, the need for finding several samples of the same model is not such a big deal. If I had the chance I'd do it, but I would not go to a lot of trouble.

Unfortunately, that doesn't help when it comes to choosing the brand and model you want. You still need to compare those!