I'm trying to figure out why it's so important to spend a certain amount on the horn -- rather than, say, looking for a good instrument that fits you well and plays the way you want it to. I mean, you're not asking "What are the best horns I could get for a maximum of $2,000?" but rather "I'm going to spend $2,000. What horn should I buy for that money?" That's an odd way for a musician to think.
I mean ... I'm pretty sure that Todd Burdick of Tuba Skinny could afford a much more expensive horn than that old bell-front recording bass he plays. And I know that their cornet player, Shaye Cohn -- about the best trad jazz cornetist I've heard -- could certainly afford something more expensive than that old Yamaha student model cornet she uses. But their real goal is the music. Not the cost.
Gary Merrill
Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)