[TPIN] Chinese manufacturing (was -Wiseman trumpets)

[David Adams]

Globalization is inevitable, and in the long run not a bad thing.   
Look for the quality you want, identify the bad stuff, and ultimately  
the market will take care of itself.  So far, the Mt. Vernon trumpets  
I have seen (the Bach look-alikes) seem to be holding up well, and  
for a student horn, they sound great.  Will keep an eye on them and  
pass on my observations as time goes by.
On Sep 29, 2007, at 6:55 PM, Daniel,John wrote:

> John,
> To some degree, I think you have missed the point. Or perhaps we  
> need to define a couple of areas to this discussion:
> 1.  How do the outsourced-to-China instruments compare in value  
> when there is an honest effort to make a good product?
> 2.  Is it possible that some of these instruments are being made as  
> cheaply as possible, with no thought about quality, just to rip  
> people off, like imitation viagra?
> 3.  How can we spot the fakes and alert the marketplace, or is  
> there a lot of gray area?
> John
>
> On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 20:28:53 -0500
>  John Kool <johnkool at windstream.net> wrote:
>> There is an excellent article in the most recent Popular Science  
>> about how fast China is getting it right in cloning and in  
>> sometimes now, improving on the items they have copied.  It does  
>> not mention trumpets, but the new iPhone, automobiles, and more.   
>> One U.S. congressman compained that the parts on a knock-off auto  
>> are interchangeable with the real thing and that some service  
>> centers ( I think in the electronics industry) have serviced knock- 
>> off product unknowingly because they could not tell the difference.
>> Once they have the tools and training, many flaws can be  
>> attributed to the designers and their communication with the workers.
>> Notice that many Chinese goods will say, 'precision designed or  
>> engineered in Germany, (or America, or England, or whatever  
>> country seems to stand for high quality)
>> At one time, we may have considered untrained work staff or  
>> uneducated workers as an inferior class of people. [i.e.  
>> untrainable and uneducable ((My spell checker is flagging those  
>> two words, but I am open to correction)]  Now we know better.  It  
>> would be racist to think that motivated, trained and equipped  
>> workers from another part of the world are incapable of producing  
>> quality goods.
>> There are questions we need to ask about motivation....10 cents an  
>> hour, 12-16 hours days, forced labor, unclean, unsafe conditions?
>> There are questions we need to ask of design. Manufacture to price  
>> point or to quality standard?
>> The world is getting smaller.  As the wages for the poor improve,  
>> the wages for the previous working class will diminish, until  
>> standards of living equalize.
>> Mike Vax, red blooded American is on record for supporting  
>> American manufacturers, but I think his ProTec cases are made  
>> overseas.  And I keep hearing comments from satisfied customers.   
>> We all have our own line in the sand.  I like to support  
>> American.  But I purchased a 4 valve euphonium made in China that  
>> is all I need for the few times I want to play that non-trumpet..   
>> Treble Clef low G is the only note that is 'bad" and I can  
>> compensate with the 4th valve instead of 1&3.  I am sure our  
>> European list members WANT to support their countrymen's efforts,  
>> but have their decision to make over quality vs price point.
>> As many have mentioned, there are companies getting it right or at  
>> least very close to right with Chinese manufacturing.  Clyde Hunt  
>> likes his Selman $100 trumpets.  Michael Anderson, our moderator/ 
>> administrator thinks Eastman Winds are a good value for the  
>> money.  I seem to recall Shire trumpets and trumpets and trombones  
>> getting favorable reviews.)  Is Sonare "designed in Germany" or  
>> "Made in Germany".  I know they have American Blackburn leadpipes.
>> Sarcasm mode on: "It's not like any American produced automobiles,  
>> appliances, food, etc has never had to be recalled because of  
>> quality or safety issues, is it?"
>> As I tell my students, "At the end of a factory assembly line is  
>> someone in quality control to pull the defects. As musicians, our  
>> goal is to practice to the point we don't produce any defects,  
>> because in a live performance you can't take anything back"
>> Rod Brawn wrote:
>>> Hi All,
>>>    So China which can produce fighter aircraft for instance,  
>>> cannot manufacture quality musical instruments?   Or they export  
>>> only the junk to occidentals?
>>>
>>> Rod
>>> <Snip for Digest readers>
>> -- 
>> Check out my website: http://www.thatskool.net
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David B. Adams
Palo Alto Unified School District
Director, Foothill Symphonic Winds
www.windband.org/foothill