Bach Trombones

R
rmb796
Posts: 207
Joined: Sep 05, 2018

by rmb796 »

Hi Everyone,

Does anyone know why Bach slides and instruments are so far behind on production (5-7 months)?

Peter Steiner is possibly going to give a presentation at a local music store this fall. I asked the two salesmen

at the store if they would have Bach trombones on display to try out when Mr. Steiner was here. They looked at each other, laughed, and said "I doubt it!"

What is going on? Getting tired of excuses .

Thanks

Randy
B
Burgerbob
Posts: 6327
Joined: Apr 23, 2018

by Burgerbob »

labor is a huge problem in the industry right now. In that area there are a lot of other manufacturers, and skilled workers can easily move to another factory building motorhomes or (fill in the blank).
P
Posaunus
Posts: 5018
Joined: Mar 23, 2018

by Posaunus »

Probably also a significant demand from the Defense Department et al. for all sorts of weaponry. :idk:
T
tbonesullivan
Posts: 1959
Joined: Jul 02, 2019

by tbonesullivan »

Not just Bach. It's pretty much industry wide. Many are STILL catching up from delays related to Covid, and the huge supply chain issues that it caused. Also with a lot of people not able to spend money on things like Vacations, etc, they ended up buying lots of things. They can only build things so fast, and most companies aren't going to expand production capacity to deal with a "temporary" thing.

Keeping products in demand also helps keep prices high.
J
JTeagarden
Posts: 625
Joined: Feb 24, 2025

by JTeagarden »

[quote="Burgerbob"]labor is a huge problem in the industry right now. In that area there are a lot of other manufacturers, and skilled workers can easily move to another factory building motorhomes or (fill in the blank).[/quote]

I work in Elkhart, and yes, skilled labor is hard to find, even with the downturn in RVs.

Not sure that making brass instruments and assembling RVs is the same skill set, I'd like to think making trombones requires a bit more skill!
G
ghmerrill
Posts: 2193
Joined: Apr 02, 2018

by ghmerrill »

[quote="JTeagarden"]Not sure that making brass instruments and assembling RVs is the same skill set, I'd like to think making trombones requires a bit more skill![/quote]
I think that if I were driving around in an RV and going through mountain passes in the Blue Ridge or Rockies, I might feel differently. :lol:
J
JTeagarden
Posts: 625
Joined: Feb 24, 2025

by JTeagarden »

[quote="ghmerrill"]<QUOTE author="JTeagarden" post_id="276553" time="1747919497" user_id="19182">
Not sure that making brass instruments and assembling RVs is the same skill set, I'd like to think making trombones requires a bit more skill![/quote]
I think that if I were driving around in an RV and going through mountain passes in the Blue Ridge or Rockies, I might feel differently. :lol:
</QUOTE>

And for that, you can thank the OEMs who make the chassis!
G
ghmerrill
Posts: 2193
Joined: Apr 02, 2018

by ghmerrill »

[quote="JTeagarden"]<QUOTE author="ghmerrill" post_id="276562" time="1747922649" user_id="2941">

I think that if I were driving around in an RV and going through mountain passes in the Blue Ridge or Rockies, I might feel differently. :lol:[/quote]

And for that, you can thank the OEMs who make the chassis!
</QUOTE>
Or whoever last tightened your wheel lug nuts. :roll:
J
JTeagarden
Posts: 625
Joined: Feb 24, 2025

by JTeagarden »

[quote="ghmerrill"]<QUOTE author="JTeagarden" post_id="276564" time="1747924891" user_id="19182">

And for that, you can thank the OEMs who make the chassis![/quote]
Or whoever last tightened your wheel lug nuts. :roll:
</QUOTE>

That's a sore point! Just had a blow-out this past weekend on a new gravel road in rural Illinois, had to limp home 5 hours, hoping I had knuckled them down appropriately...
G
ghmerrill
Posts: 2193
Joined: Apr 02, 2018

by ghmerrill »

Yeah, well, at least you were on flat terrain, right?

(I'm trying to think if I ever encountered a hill in Illinois. I don't think so. Maybe some small ones in the south. My wife was raised in Chicago and we still have problems communicating about terrain. The nearest highway to us now (in NC) is what I think of as "flat", but will concede that it maybe goes up a slight rise of a few feet over a distance of several miles. Yet even to this day, in giving directions to people, my wife will say "Go up the hill as you get out of town and turn right on the first road you see." I'm like "What hill? Don't tell people that. There's no hill." Of course, she still insists in getting out of the car if I have to make a 3-point on a one lane mountain road. Flatlanders. :roll: )
H
hornbuilder
Posts: 1384
Joined: May 02, 2018

by hornbuilder »

Speaking brutally here

The days of production/factory shops being manned by "Brass Artisans" is long gone. The majority of people who work in brass instrument production factories know very little about the instruments they're working on, or how what they do effects the final product. They know how to do the task they were taught to do, and that's about it.

Yes, C-S lost many of their workers to Winnebago some years ago, because Wbago offered more money. Remember most of these people aren't "Brass Artisans". They're relatively average skilled factory workers, who perform a task they're taught to do. They're not Industry Specific workers, and will go wherever the money is. Unfortunately.
J
JTeagarden
Posts: 625
Joined: Feb 24, 2025

by JTeagarden »

Flat as a pancake! I moved my family from Pittsburgh to Chicago, and my daughter was indignant about the lack of hills.
J
JTeagarden
Posts: 625
Joined: Feb 24, 2025

by JTeagarden »

[quote="hornbuilder"]Speaking brutally here

The days of production/factory shops being manned by "Brass Artisans" is long gone. The majority of people who work in brass instrument production factories know very little about the instruments they're working on, or how what they do effects the final product. They know how to do the task they were taught to do, and that's about it.

Yes, C-S lost many of their workers to Winnebago some years ago, because Wbago offered more money. Remember most of these people aren't "Brass Artisans". They're relatively average skilled factory workers, who perform a task they're taught to do. They're not Industry Specific workers, and will go wherever the money is. Unfortunately.[/quote]

I completely believe it: machine operators.
J
JTeagarden
Posts: 625
Joined: Feb 24, 2025

by JTeagarden »

Midwesterners give directions by points of the compass: Go south in Route 21, then west on Route 14, etc. This drives Europeans crazy, since they don't really have a visual map in their heads