Mid-South Music

Ok, so I did something I have never done before--created an account, which I hate--just to write a review of Mid-South Music. I have a 14 year old daughter who is a developing tuba player. She had outgrown her 3/4 rental tuba and wants to join our local youth symphony. Calling around locally, most places wanted to sell me a Chinese-made tuba that did not interest me at all. I found a restored 1970s Miraphone for her listed from Mid-South Music on Tubenet that looked really interesting. (By the way--tubenet? A whole community of tuba players? Isn't the internet great?) \r \r Her tuba teacher called and talked to Joe, who answered all his questions about the origin of the tuba and how Joe had restored it. Joe and I dealt on a handshake--to save him the interchange fees on a credit card I sent him a check and he sent me the tuba. (If you are having a tuba shipped, I now know you must ship the case and tuba separately--counterintuitive, but true). \r \r The tuba is gorgeous. It is in excellent condition, it has the craftsmanship it is harder to find these days, and the sound and tone (even to a non-musical person like myself) is head and shoulders above our previous rental. My daughter's tuba teacher is ecstatic about the tuba. \r \r I live in Silicon Valley, and I can tell you I wouldn't write anyone here a check on an online handshake. It was a pleasure to deal with someone as straightforward as Joe, who was so interested in finding a good home for this awesome tuba. more

Dear Mr Joe Sellansberger\r I want to thank you for the time and effort that you put into repairing my Holton 345 tuba last week. Your craftmanship and knowledge of the horn were evident as I watched you work. Although I am not the player I was 50 years ago. I can still appreciate good workmanship and dedication to do the job right.\r After playing the horn for a few days, I found it so much improved , especially in it's response and in the lowest range. I can strongly recommend your shop to anyone who asks. It was well worth my time and effort to drive to Williston to get the repairs made.\r Thank you again for your skills. In addition I enjoyed talking with you. I would recommend anyone wanting their tuba repaired right to you and Midsouth Music.\r \r Clark W. Giffin\r 44199 Stringer Bridge Rd.\r St. Amant, La. 70774 more

I have know Debbie and Joe for many years, and find their expertise in repair and instrument sales, excellent. More importantly is their sense of honesty and fairness dealing with all of their customers. I can recommend them to my students and other professionals without hesitation, as I know they will take very good care of their needs. I am so glad that they are continuing their business after their move from mid-town Memphis. I also value their friendship! Look no farther than MidSouth for almost all of your musical needs! more

Joe Sellmansberger is the kind of guy who could walk around a scrapyard for a few minutes, pick up a couple pieces of metal, and within minutes fabricate an instrument that will look like it came from the Guggenheim and play like it belongs in the CSO. Pros: Very high standards, fast, honest, affordable more

I am very pleased to write this review for Joe and Debbie of Mid-South Music in Wilmington, TN. I am a retired band director, tuba instructor and performer. I first met Joe and Debbie when I was the Assistant Director of Bands at the University of Mississippi, and have done a good bit of business with them over the last 15 years. I am also the father of four young brass players, (two tubas, one French horn and one trumpet), one of whom is a budding young professional musician. more

I play in the Dallas Symphony and have had excellent repair done to my tubas at Mid-South Music. What I admire the most about Joe is that he has an analytical mind that will find the best choice for me both ergonomically and economically. Joe and Debbi are the model of an honest businesspeople who you can trust, which is the result of there reputation nationwide. Highly recommended for your band instrument sales and repair. more

I used this company when I was Director of Bands for Crossland High School and now I am University Director of bands. Doing business with this company was a great experience for me. They were polite, considerate and very helpful. I purchased several refurbished tubas from them and to this day eight years later they are still in great working condition. Pros: Good service and pleasant to speak with. Cons: N/A more

Joe and I met in tuba contexts on the web, where we both act as the serious elderlies. more

I bought a tuba from Joe to use in college. I got it for a great price. I also have bought many instruments from him for my middle and high schools. I was able to get high quality professional band instruments for my students with a low budget. I wouldn't trust anyone else more than Mid-South Music with my repairs. Thank you Joe and Debbie! more

Turning a pro quality brass instrument over to a repairman requires utmost confidence. Not only do Mid-South Music Sales & Service perform expert repairs, they also excel at customizing instruments to meet special needs. The place in the Mid-South to have your instrument repair work done. more

If you need repairs to your instrument- brass, woodwind, percussion, string or custom options or a new instrument or great advice on instruments, you need to give these people a call. I was a band director for 9 years and they never let me down. Joe even made a 4 valve convertible euphonium for me- now that is awesome! I have known them and done business with them since 1993 and I highly recommend them. 5 Stars- Bigtime. more

I was the band director at Harding Academy, a local private school in Memphis for 31 years. During that time I did thousands of dollars worth of business with Mid-South Music. I found the owners, Joe and Debbie, to be honest, hardworking people who provided reasonably priced, high quality products and repair. If you want that old tuba to look and play like brand new; or that clarinet to speak easily; or whatever you need. This is the place to go. I can recommend them to you without hesitation! --- Barry Lumpkin Pros: High quality repairs and reasonable prices. more

I am a band director at a Memphis area independent school and have known Joe and Debbie (the owners) for quite some time. They may not remember this but my first instrument purchase was with them when I was in Junior High School in the late 80's. At the time, they had a store on Summer Ave. in Memphis and offered the best prices and service in the city for instruments, accessories, and repairs. From the minute you walked into their store, you were treated like a friend and it was obvious that they had a genuine concern for helping you. Since their move to Fayette county, I will admit to trying other repair shops in town because they were a little closer; but I eventually went back to Mid-South music because of their unparalleled professionalism, speedy service, and excellent workmanship. Their shop is about 1/2 hour outside of town but it is worth the drive if you want your repairs done right, finished quickly, and at a price that is more than fair. I trust them with my own personal instruments as well as those of my students. Give them a try as well, you won't regret it! more

Although we did not purchase our daughter?s instrument from Mid-South Music, we needed last minute repairs. The instrument was repaired while we waited and we were charged a fair price. The technical acumen was evident and the shop was equipped with everything needed to perform the repairs needed. I will be recommending Mid-South Music in the future. Besides the repairs, we bought reeds and many other accessories from the store on site. Thank you Mid-South Music, you made our day! more

Mid-South has established a high-quality reputation nation-wide among musicians. The owner is qualified to perform exacting repairs on rare instruments, and solid and affordable repairs on budget instruments. In addition, the owner's integrity is superior, and I would trust him with any work at any budget. He is one of the few in the business about whom I can make this unreserved recommendation: Tell him your budget and then to use his judgment. He will discuss the options and work with you to determine how to use the budget most effectively. For bringing older instruments to good playing condition within a reasonable budget, there is no-one better in the business, anywhere. Recommended highly. I had Mid-South peform playability repairs and modifications to a rare Holton tuba, and the result exceeded my (high) expectations. The slides are perfect, the valves are perfect, and the finish work maintained sensitivity to the history of the instrument. All that fit within a budget that would have been a serious limitation for most other high-end repair shops. more

I recently had my B&S-made rotary Bflat tuba restored by Mid-South Music. Their abilities and capabilities are, simply put, unsurpassed in the field of brass and woodwind sales, restoration, and repair. Besides designing and installing new valve linkage that is absolutely silent, dents in hard-to-reach areas of the instrument were quickly removed that I had previously assumed would require a lot of heavy expense and unsoldering. Pros: THE best service! Cons: no hot sales girls....... more