So, the tárogató arrived today, and to call it crude is an understatement. This, of course, is the peril of buying on eBay. It is indeed a miserable piece of work, and this was not at all evident in the pictures, but of course without closeups one can't really tell.
Curiously, it plays quite well in tune and I can get up to third octave E quite easily, but it leaks like a sieve and it will take all my resourcefulness to get it to seal properly. The keywork makes that of early Chinese saxes look absolutely refined.
Lesson learned. I may just have to save my pennies and actually buy a Stowasser at some point, but of course doing so by eBay risks quite a bit of capital. For now I will try to get this in playing condition, as I can already tell that it is a lovely instrument (in the abstract).
Curiously, it plays quite well in tune and I can get up to third octave E quite easily, but it leaks like a sieve and it will take all my resourcefulness to get it to seal properly. The keywork makes that of early Chinese saxes look absolutely refined.
Lesson learned. I may just have to save my pennies and actually buy a Stowasser at some point, but of course doing so by eBay risks quite a bit of capital. For now I will try to get this in playing condition, as I can already tell that it is a lovely instrument (in the abstract).