PeeJay Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 From the Pioneer website: 2008 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES As we prepare for the 2008 Season, our goals and the purposes for them are: ***New Brass: The purchase of a complete new set of Marching Brass: Being our oldest equipment (1991-2004). It is a huge undertaking that is long overdue. Our drums are 4 seasons old, the pit is 2 seasons old, and the uniforms are 1 season old. So the brass section replacement is long overdue. Getting Bb instruments may not be our sentimental choice, but it is in our best interest to do so. We are not in any position to insist on using the traditional G instruments. We still preserve a lot of other traditions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Brace Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 From the Pioneer website:2008 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES As we prepare for the 2008 Season, our goals and the purposes for them are: ***New Brass: The purchase of a complete new set of Marching Brass: Being our oldest equipment (1991-2004). It is a huge undertaking that is long overdue. Our drums are 4 seasons old, the pit is 2 seasons old, and the uniforms are 1 season old. So the brass section replacement is long overdue. Getting Bb instruments may not be our sentimental choice, but it is in our best interest to do so. We are not in any position to insist on using the traditional G instruments. We still preserve a lot of other traditions! Why not? I would expect if Pioneer expressed publicly what the cost differences between Bb and G horns were, donations would fly in for the difference. If, cost was the only consideration. If the difference across the line as $50,000, I'm sure reaching out to alumni, friends and others interested in preserving the traditions of the G horn would help raise the money necessary to keep DCIs last remaining World Class G horn corps fielding these instruments. So, maybe there's more to this than cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Thunder Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Apparently Pioneer had flags stolen at the end of the season, and those flags were on loan to them from a high school band. It was mentioned on Pioneer's website that they hoped the financial burden of replacing the flags wouldn't cut into their horn fund. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tromboner42 Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 I think the resale value of an instrument is more important than the initial price for a horn line. Today, many groups get new instruments almost every year because the sponsorship they have with a manufacturer allows them to sell horns after a season has ended for more money than they originally paid. There simply isn't a large enough market for G bugles to facilitate this kind of cycle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiodb Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Why not? I would expect if Pioneer expressed publicly what the cost differences between Bb and G horns were, donations would fly in for the difference. If, cost was the only consideration. If the difference across the line as $50,000, I'm sure reaching out to alumni, friends and others interested in preserving the traditions of the G horn would help raise the money necessary to keep DCIs last remaining World Class G horn corps fielding these instruments.So, maybe there's more to this than cost. Of course. When judges tell you that your corps will remain in last place in brass until they switch, that makes the decision for you. <**> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueemrld8 Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Is it just me, or does the announcement sound a little apologetic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny Drum Corps Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 As I stated in another thread...I had the priviledge of teaching Pioneer's brass line last year, and my conversations in critique with "knowledgeable" judges lead me to believe that unless this change was made, it would be like travelling up hill for Pioneer in those captions. It was made fairly obvious that this was a necessary move for the corps to grow, or even think about a higher placement in any brass caption. The horns are apparently on their way. I think it is a great move for recruiting and developing the Pioneer Corps for years to come. I believe that there has been a deal made with a company with a very good reputation in the marching brass area. I cant comment without a "blessing" anymore than that at this time. Just think Phantom, Blue Knights, Boston, etc. The old bugles were beat up badly and of various manufacturers. Many of them had problems and we couldnt get parts on tour. Some brass repair people began saying that werent going to work on them anymore because of they were in the poorest condition you could possibly imagine. If we lost a slide or valve part on tour, we went days with those particular students not being able to play in shows. That is the kind of thing that we faced last summer as the only G brass line on the Div. 1 tour. Even the mobile brass shop people didnt have any parts for these dinosaurs. What do you say to the kids that had to deal with this scenario? Sorry you cant play for a few days, because the horns we have, nobody wants to work on them anymore? I had to deal with this more than once on tour. Duct tape and various rigging devices were used to get these kids' instruments to at least be playable for a few hours. We had to order parts and then usually there were none to fit these monsters, and if there were, it took weeks to come. Paul Collins actually took a slide from a different manufacturer and heated and bent it to fit a horn because I was pleading with him for a few days. This was a very strong player that couldn't participate with the equipment available to him. Of course the horn was way out of tune on certain notes, but at least the kid got to play with certain valve combinations. He finished the seasoon on that horn unfortunately. No parts ever showed up from anywhere. LOL I am as much of a traditionalist drum corps freak as anyone, but the time has come to get in the game or stay where the corps has been for the last few years. The kids deserve better than that. They deserve a chance to succeed, and DCI World Class that means having equipment that is comparable to their competitors. Great Move Roman...I am sure that the resale value of the horns meant nothing toward the reason of the purchase. It was just the right time! Donny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einstein On The Beach Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 This is incredibly good news. Congratulations, that hornline should be very happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nagging Cough! Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Traditionalists have every right to be bummed, but for those of us who want to see Pioneer get out of the dregs, this had to be done, because the judges weren't gonna have it any other way. The activity evolved and they had to keep pace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tromboner42 Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 I found this interesting: http://kanstul.net/pages/miscpgs/bprice.html Current price listings for Kanstul G bugles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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