PT1/B&S 3103/VMI 103/Accent 952

[Three Valves]

New tuba day.

In tune, valves good, slides super.

A German Made 4/4+ and sounds just brilliant with a Bach12.

Mine is the Accent. Reasonably priced as a result I’m sure. Not heavy.

[bloke]

Is this your first European-made instrument ?

[bort2.0]

Congratspicsoritdidnthappen!

[Three Valves]

Is this your first European-made instrument ?

Yes!!

[bloke]

[Three Valves]

I was waiting for the 562 Eastman to come up lightly used for 2.5X more but I took a chance on this.

[bloke]

I was waiting for the 562 Eastman to come up lightly used for 2.5X more but I took a chance on this.

I personally judge that you spent your money more wisely. The 562 (at least, in my view) is priced too closely to a real GR51, and there are probably way more real used GR51 instruments out there than there are used 562 instruments.

[Dan Tuba]

Congratulations I had the opportunity to play the B&S version in the Army at a few duty stations. They are great tubas

[DonO.]

I have wondered about the pedigree of Accent tubas and euphoniums for some time now. If the only difference between them and the B&S version, why are they less expensive? Search the internet for “Accent tubas where are they made” and you don’t get much information. On another low brass forum, a gentleman whom I believe knows what he’s talking about (he was speaking about the euphoniums) say that the difference is the Accent brand is assembled at the B&S factory using Chinese parts. According to him, there is a loophole in German law allowing products made from imported parts to be marked “made in Germany” if at least 40% of the labor is performed in Germany.

I really wish instrument manufacturers would just tell the truth and not be so coy about the origin of the instruments they sell. And I am not saying this is not a great horn. If it makes you happy, that’s fantastic. I’m simply advocating for transparency so that we musicians know exactly what we’re buying.

[jtm]

Congratulations! I had a B&S/VMI (branded Musica, likely from the late '90s) a couple of years ago, and it was a really well made tuba. Sounded pretty good. Probably should have just kept it.... (viewtopic.php?t=1334)

[bloke]

I seriously doubt that the early Accent instruments (specifically: the ones that were German made, as some Accent instruments were made in Taiwan and other places) were partially made in mainland China. They are just too absolutely parts-interchangeable and too absolutely “just the same“ as the same models labeled “B&S”.

Gerhard Meinl was trying to find all kinds of work for that factory when - after reunification- he was assigned it by the German government. He made deals with Brooks Mays to build their earlier “F. Schmidt” instruments, deals with Accent, et al.

fwiw, I recently picked up an “F. Schmidt” (Brooks Mays sold) instrument for myself, and there’s just nothing Chinese – certainly nothing “two decades ago Chinese“ – about it.

Buffet - I’m thinking - is really the B&S owner that has contracted more Chinese factories to build some of their economy-line instruments, such as “Besson International”, walking away from the Schreiber factory (towards China) for the entry-level clarinets, and etc. My understanding is that they are using Wisemann, among others.

If I’m wrong, someone - perhaps Mr. Meinl himself - can correct me.

================
sidebar:
Believe I believe quite a few of us have noticed that the Wisemann 900 has just about disappeared, since their believed-to-be connection with Buffet. Though the build quality wasn’t quite up to the build quality of a PT6P, I found it interesting that most of them played better (for me) than most of the German-made “real“ ones. Though the model 900 mouthpipes were thin, yellow brass, and tended to rot, I suspect that the playing characteristics (that I like better) Might be due to the fact that the 900 mouthpipe tubes were a little bit smaller on the small end – a characteristic which seems to help quite a few models of tubas.

[Three Valves]

I have wondered about the pedigree of Accent tubas and euphoniums for some time now. If the only difference between them and the B&S version, why are they less expensive?

Because few people know what they were and how nice they are.

I can’t vouch for now, but 20+ Years ago they were German made and quite nice.

[DonO.]

Three valves- I am happy for you that you have found and instrument that pleases you! As others have said, I would love to see pictures!

[Three Valves]

Pic link...

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipP ... Zmc181QUln

[bort2.0]

Also, where did you buy it from? I've lost track... Was this the one in Amarillo?

[Three Valves]

Taylor Music in SD again. This one was “serviced” but not a “refurb” like my sousaphone was.

Both were just under 2k each shipping and tax included.

Two for half the price of one!!

I’m pleased.

[prairieboy1]

Congratulations! These are terrific tubas! A VMI 103 was part of the arsenal here for quite awhile and I enjoyed it!

[Bob Kolada]

I seriously doubt that the early Accent instruments (specifically: the ones that were German made, as someone made in Taiwan and other places) were partially made in mainland China. They are just too absolutely parts-interchangeable and too absolutely “just the same“ as the same models labeled “B&S”.

Gerhard Meinl was trying to find all kinds of work for that factory when - after reunification- he was assigned it by the German government. He made deals with Brooks Mays to build their earlier “F. Schmidt” instruments, deals with Accent, et al.

fwiw, I recently picked up an “F. Schmidt” (Brooks Mays sold) instrument for myself, and there’s just nothing Chinese – certainly nothing “two decades ago Chinese“ – about it.

Buffet - I’m thinking - is really the B&S owner that has contracted more Chinese factories to build some of their economy-line instruments, such as “Besson International”, walking away from the Schreiber factory (towards China) for the entry-level clarinets, and etc. My understanding is that they are using Wisemann, among others.

If I’m wrong, someone - perhaps Mr. Meinl himself - can correct me.

================
sidebar:
Believe I believe quite a few of us have noticed that the Wisemann 900 has just about disappeared, since their believed-to-be connection with Buffet. Though the build quality wasn’t quite up to the build quality of a PT6P, I found it interesting that most of them played better (for me) than most of the German-made “real“ ones. Though the model 900 mouthpipes were thin, yellow brass, and tended to rot, I suspect that the playing characteristics (that I like better) Might be due to the fact that the 900 mouthpipe tubes were a little bit smaller on the small end – a characteristic which seems to help quite a few models of tubas.

I'm still waiting for Mike Mason to eat at least a crow wing; didn't he unload his JB 6 valve F on you? I think I owned that exact horn and he 'disagreed ' with my appraisal...

[bloke]

Whatever… I don’t have a dog in that fight.
I pulled a few parts off of that thing.
I put the bell on a tuba that belongs to an old man who doesn’t have very much money (as a gift); his tuba had a hopelessly crushed bell.
I’ve used some screws and other parts, and used one rotor on something.

That having been said, I believe it may have been our Alabaman who kept insisting that I sell them a badly out of tune German-made F tuba that I bought only to use the valveset on something else. The resultant instrument is about ten times as good and times times as useful as was that out-of-tune German F tuba.

[hrender]

Pic link...

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipP ... Zmc181QUln

Good looking horn. DIdn't realize (some) Accent horns were VMI-made.