Jinbao King copy!

[Dan Schultz]

That's classic Jingying ad mistake. The image is flipped. Duh! Don't think I want one.

[bloke]

For private owners, I don’t see much point in either a marginally more carefully-built nor a noticeably more hastily-built knock-off of a new-style USA-made B-flat tuba, as used genuine ones seem to be *priced reasonably, when offered for sale.
As goes with my advice for buying most any tuba from anywhere (certainly including many European-made tubas), I would mostly eschew silver-plated ones, unless closely inspected (via calipers, etc.) prior to purchase, if the buyer is picky at all about tuning slide alignment, as most tubas from most manufacturers feature dubious alignment of tuning slide sets, and certainly the model (original version) being discussed is not an exception.
(When a tuba is handed over to a talented repair person - who is asked to align slides featuring all-or-some one-piece non-adjustable braces on an already-built tuba, cosmetic damage tends to be far less (and far easier to remedy) with a lacquer-finish instrument.)
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*as these typically don’t fall within the “toobah fer kolij” category, as that category tends to sustain used pricing of those models

[Dan Schultz]

If I see any more 'copies' of these great old horns I think I'll just puke! There are still many thousands of the 'real deal' lurking in school back rooms. 'Copies' generally don't offer any improvement. They aren't copies. They are junk.

[bloke]

China is no more of an enemy of the USA (other than its size) than is Germany (we’ve probably stupidly/suicidally poured trillions - certainly, adjusted for inflation - into the German economy over the last 3/4th century), and some instruments made in China are now as good as some of those made in Germany/France/Switzerland. The new style King 2341 tubas often feature precision and fit issues. Even some that were made 20 years ago are starting to get worn, and the ones that were really made well (decades before that) mostly are badly worn. It’s obvious that people value so-so and shiny, and that’s what they’re buying...sometimes for triple and quadruple markup over importers costs.
Those who only sell used – and compete with good/new – are probably going to scowl.
Personally, I wouldn’t buy a knock off of a new style 2341. I would just buy a used one for under $3000, straighten it out, and properly align the slides…something that often wasn’t ever properly done in the first place.

[LeMark]

I'll take a new Eastman over a new king any day

[bloke]

I'll take a new Eastman over a new king any day

Fit and finish issues are approximately equal, but the price is lower with Eastman.

some other models... Were it that I really wanted something like that, I’d have to go for the original:
Were it that I was shopping for a five bore sizes B&S F tuba, I’d have to go for the original.
If I had to choose between a Y-826 and an E-836 - though I’m interested in neither - I would get the 826 and pay all that additional money.
The same goes for the original 983 all-on-the-front E-flat tuba, were it that I wanted to own one.