at least the maker has paid a bit of attention to the final aspects of manufacturing. Look a horn over for obvious visual defects first. ![]() Most of the time these precision finishes involve grinding or lapping and are specified in 'micro-inch' dimensions. Finish isn't the pretty lacquer but the precision finished surfaces of moving parts such as pistons and rotors. I worked for almost forty years as an engineer) is the way parts are machined and how well they work with each other. 'Fit and finish' as described by an engineer (yes. The term 'fit and finish' is misunderstood by most of the tuba community and has nothing to do with how shiny an instrument is. The silver and lacquer finished on tubas have gotten pretty good but it's what's inside that counts. Bright and shiny isn't all it's often cracked up to be. How a horn plays is only part of what should go into making a decision of which one to buy. ![]() ![]() As a person who spends twenty or so hours a week playing tubas and another forty-plus hours a week repairing them I can offer what my experiences have been when attempting to determine which ones are 'keepers' and which ones to pass on by. There are A LOT of different brands of new tubas out there today and it's easy for me to understand why some folks are confused about what to invest their hard-earn dollars into.
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