I am surprised about all these quality issues - NOT.
The difference here is when someone with Stephen’s skills and reputation states what he found. If I (or someone else on the forums) writes about what I’m seeing - some unknown amateur from the grumpy folks of the south - it’s easily (and perhaps rightfully) called out as Selmer bashing, trolling, hating, even if it is not.
I have learned on Selmers, have played Selmer horns for 3 decades, and know plenty other Selmer players and their horns. There are the most outstanding horns among them, but I don’t know of a single newly bought Selmer that could not be improved significantly out of the box in the last 30 years or so. There may be some of course, but the need of a setup is very common. They know, everyone knows and seems to have accepted. Why spend money on it? With a Supreme solid silver (gives me some shortness of breath) of course one would have hoped for a special service…
I am sorry for what has happened to this company. For sure the sales profit of solid silver Supremes is not ment to be invested in the distant future, others explained why.
And for Thomann? They’re all about the best price, which would be the opposite direction of paying good techs to invest real time in their products before shipment to the customer. Which is more expensive - a few returns or setting up every horn so it’s really good? I’m sure they have done the maths on this. We support this business by wanting the lowest prices. I think it is OK if we transfer the savings to our Saxdoc in order to be happier with our purchase and keep this important trade alive for the next generation!
I can assure you - I often get accused of 'Brand XYZ bashing'.
I used to take it seriously, but then I noticed folks who'd accused me of such would subsequently praise a different review. Given that I apply the same standards to all reviews (with a suitable adjustment for price), it seemed to me that it was just fanboyism...so I stopped paying attention.
I feel it's true to say that just about any horn can be improved with an independent professional setup.
On something like, say, a top end Yani it might just be a matter of tweaking the action for a better response. On other horns it might require some tonehole work (hopefully light!). And then there are those which practically need rebuilding right out of the box.
But it's also true to say that the more you spend on a horn, the more you should expect not to need such services.
In the case of this particular Supreme it's not known if it was tweaked by the seller. I have my doubts...but they'll remain as much until I've seen other examples. I feel that's only fair.
However, as much as you would expect your expensive new horn to be 100% straight out of the box - the retailer will also want to make that assumption. I suspect there's a strategy. Horns above a certain price-point are expected to be good to go. Horns in the middle bracket will likely need a checkover - and horns at the lower end 'are what they are' and are left for the customer to point up any issues.
Let's face it, so few players really know whether a horn is working properly or not that any returns are likely to be limited to major disasters...or those that have been taken to a repairer and failed a post-purchase checkover.
Setting up a horn can be a very expensive business. To get the best out of that Supreme it would require a full strip-down. It's not gonna happen in a retailer's repair dept. For the most part a shop setup is going to involve a quick leak check, a few pad and action tweaks and a general inspection to ensure everything's where it ought to be and is in good condition.
Simply put it's a "Will it do?" service - with an eye firmly fixed on the meagre profit margin.
I suppose it could be said that my expectations are unrealistic - but they're based upon the best examples at a particular price point. As one manufacturer ups their game, the bar is raised - and so are my expectations, naturally. And I would expect the others to follow suit.
But then folks say that it'll put the prices up - but when have any of you ever bought a horn above beginner grade solely on the price? A brand X intermediate horn might cost, say, £1800 - a brand Y £1900. Your first choice is surely going to be about how the horn plays and feels (that's kinda the whole point, right?). But if it's a split-decision, what's going to persuade you to part with that extra £100? Finish, maybe? The case? Accessories? Or reliability and integrity of manufacture - AKA quality?
When you double or triple that purchase price you're even less likely to make a decision based on price because you've already got it into your head that a top-spec horn is gonna set you back 5 or 6 grand.
So no excuses - there absolutely IS room for manufacturers to go the extra mile.
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