I've been playing for three years now and am pretty good...I mean there is always room for improvement. But I finally decided to buy my own Tuba because I am graduating this year and going off to college. The only problem is they are really expensive and I'm a little short on money. So does anybody know of any where I can get a good tuba for cheap?

Do you know what kind of Tuba you want? Piston or Rotory valve? What key? If you are going to college and you are going to be in the music program you might want to wait and see what they have to loan you.

If you are going to major or minor in music you might also wait until you are at college, see what they want you to play and then purchase a Tuba with a grant or student loan. Many people don't realise what you can get a student loan for. It is acceptable to pay tuition, purchase books, transportation, etc. So if you need a Tuba as part of your education you can use your student loan to get one.

Also, the faculty at your college may have connections to people who are willing to sell instruments at less than their actual value to students who show promise.

I would say if you want to look cool then get a 4 valve rotary. If you want to not look as cool then get a not full sized 3 valve.

Sometimes you can find some really good quality and good brand tubas if you strike gold on Ebay. Somebody got a St. Petersburg 4 valve rotary for only $1,000 on Ebay.

If you like full sized tubas then it isn't really a big deal if you get a pretty rusty 4 piston or rotary.