Author: paul
Date: 2000-06-28 17:25
There are several points in this thread to which I believe I can agree upon.
1. Cachet - you pay for the flash and exclusivity
2. Super premium horn for amateurs with money versus bread and butter pro grade for working stiffs
3. Some difference in the wood, workmanship, etc. to produced a wonderful tone with minimal work
4. On the bullseye intonation with minimal work
5. Price difference is a function of mass production and market demand
Okay, that said, here are some points to consider to the contrary for pure discussion's sake. Keep in mind that I'm a bit biased - I personally own a Festival as an adult novice (shame on me!!! ).
1. Ordinary pro grade versus premium pro grade. Wood and workmanship differences are there, especially in select production runs. I've heard some horror stories about R-13s that even ultra serious pros couldn't fix without a lot of hassle and imagination. While there is always regulation and some warranty work expected for every horn, I've heard of very few complaints about the premium Buffet horns.
2. True price difference between pro and premium is negotiable. R-13s brand new can be fetched for $1800 or so US. If you dig and scratch hard enough, a Festival can be purchased from just a couple of hundred dollars more to substantially more, depending on how well you can negotiate. In my case, a mere $200 separated the two horns. So, why not go for the supposedly better one? After all, I wanted the left hand Ab/Eb key for my next horn anyway.
3. Pros can afford better horns if they so desire. Sometimes, they can get sponsorship for the horns, too. Amateurs may or may not be able to afford a premium horn, but they will never get sponsorship for them.
4. Why charge more for unstained wood? Less work, less money, right? Perhaps so, perhaps not. Taking the time to hand pick the wood after it's been treated and baked and stored, etc. costs something. Being daring enough to show every single flaw in the nearly naked natural wood is a bit of a bold move on the manufacturers' part, isn't it?
5. It can take quite a few more hours of work for the extra care and workmanship at the factory to get the premium horns to produce an excellent tone with superb intonation. Remember the law of diminishing returns? At the top of the curve, you can double the cost and get less than a few percentage points of improvement in a product. So, if you want the very best product tweaked to the nth degree, be prepared to pay for the workmanship.
6. Want to see a pro player drool? Flash one of these sexy beauties in front of him or her. Like I said before, my pro tutor may be senior, but he is not blind or deaf. You will have a very hard time convincing me that pros can't tell the difference between pro and premium horns just by sound and especially by sight. I've turned pro players' heads more than once just doing warm-ups on my horn.
7. Many amateurs may stick with their chosen hobby because of the initial expense. Some other amateurs play such a good horn for the pure joy of it. Every once in a while, my wife surprises me and says "Since you paid so much for that horn, why don't you practice with it more often?". I catch the hint very quickly and bask in luxury for the next hour or two.
8. Like the extreme majority of middle class folk, I'll never have a Porsche sports car, an expensive computer, join an exclusive spa, tennis or golf club, or enjoy any other luxury like this. Yep, it was expensive and a pure luxury especially for a mere adult novice. You got me on that point. But, like many of my ilk, I run a high risk of heart attack, I already have blood pressure problems. I find it amazing that my blood pressure actually goes down after a hard practice session on my horn. Now, trade a $100,000 heart attack versus buying a $2000 horn as an adult novice. For the vast majority of people, both are once in a lifetime events, right? Even if you had the money, which one would you choose? The horn, right? I thought so.
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