Tubas at Midwest Clinic

[Rick Denney]

I'll have my 606 there to play in the mass ensemble. I am sure Custom will have one for display as well. You are more than welcome to play mine. BTW Rick, if you are ever in DC and have some time, come on over to my place and play it.

We'll have to have get a group together, come out here to the country, drink adult beverages, and try out each other's tubas.

Let's discuss it at the Army conference. I see many possibilities for something fun.

Rick "occasionally in DC for meetings, but usually trying to get out before the traffic hits" Denney

[Wallace]

All this talkt about the 606 has made me wonder...
Anyonw know how much these are selling for?

[Cameron Gates]

I gotta say that $10K isn't too bad for that much horn. You could definitely get less for more.

MW2000s go for $12500 and Mira 1291s go for $7300.

I agree, 10K is a good price for the PT-606 errrrrr GR 41. When I was looking at buying the 606/41 I looked at the Miraphone, the 2000, Pt-6 and the big Gronitz.

With the 606 and the 6 being very close in price and the 2000 being quite a bit more, I can assure you I really looked at and played (a lot) the Miraphone and Gronitz. In the end, I paid the extra money. Why? For me (again the is one guy talking here) this horn is everything I will ever need in a CC. The 2000 and the Miraphone were, for me, a little small. The Gronitz was good, but I could not really fall in love with it no matter how hard I tried. Now PLEASE remember that everyone is different. I have read on BBS that the new tuba player in the NYP plays the Miraphone on certain pieces in the orchestra. My hat is off to that guy. I'm sure he can sound like money on a conch shell. Well, I can't play a conch shell. Over the last 10 years I have come to grips with the fact that life is too short to compromise on something as important as one's happiness. I bought the tuba that makes me happy. I can play it better than the other tubas listed (still not great). Who knows, am I the only one who thinks this way about this horn? You could ask the billion people who played the horn at Midwest if they feel the same way. Most people I talked to were in love with the instrument. I am not alone.

We constantly go around and around on this board about horns. Which one is best? Who the heck knows. Here is a list of the horns guys played on that have won the last several auditions for the band that I am in, in order - not mentioning F's:

Hirsbrunner HB2P
Cerveney piggy
Hirsbrunner HB2P
Kalison Pro 2000
Hirsbrunner HB2 rotary
Hirsbrunner HB2P
Getzen (can't remember the number - CB50?)
Culbertson rotary monster

Cerveny piggy? Getzen pocket tuba? Well, the guys that played these could play anything and make it sound great. Which instrument on this list is the best? Well.......for me on that day it was a Pro 2000. If I would have auditioned on a Hirsbrunner or a Getzen I would not have won. I played my comfortable old rag, had a good day, got lucky, and won.

I really wish we could get out of this "this horn is better" thing on this board once and for all. No one knows what makes someone else happy.

Also, now that I have wasted so much time typing, may I suggest we as tuba players get rid of some terms that are thrown around quite a bit:

1. Projection. What is that? Does that mean loud?

2. Color. MW 2165 to Yamaha student 3-banger, they all have the same color. I believe Arnold Jacobs could get any color he wanted out of a Weril if given the chance. BTW, I prefer silver colored instrument from India.

3. Presence. Whaaaaaaaa? All present and accounted for?

4. "Depth of sound". No comment

5. Bright/Dark. Wanna play bright? I hope the trombone players in your group are OK with that. Always do what makes the bone players feel good about themselves. No need to give it a special word.

I believe there is a term that clears up all these vague adjectives: GUTS

Does the horn have guts? If so, good. For me the PT-606 has guts.

Sorry for the rant. Oh no, my computer is on fire.

[ai698]

But Cameron, how do you sound on your Didjeridoo

[Cameron Gates]

OK Cameron, here's my best shot:
Color and Bright/Dark: They are equivalent, and mean which overtones are more emphasized in the sound. A bright horn will have higher overtones that are emphasized, a dark horn will have the fundamental and lower overtones emphasized

I don't think I was very clear. I know, and shamefully use these terms. I know what we think they mean. I am just sick of acting like a bunch of sissies thinking they can hear the grass grow. Come on, we are tuba players. That title carries huge responsibilities:

We talk during rehearsals
We are the first ones to the coffee machine at break
We know the dirtiest jokes
We are the ones the woodwinds hate
We know that without us, the group stinks
We play too loud at all times
We don't listen to music pre-1870, if at all (sports talk radio)
We know the answer to a "who would you do" question in record time

That's a lot of stuff to think about. Instrument color? Projection? One simple question sums it up: "Uhhhh......your horn got guts?"

Yes or no? Its like the binary system of rating the other sex. Is she a 1 or a 0. No 9.5's no 4's. Either yes or no.

[Rick Denney]

Yes or no? Its like the binary system of rating the other sex. Is she a 1 or a 0. No 9.5's no 4's. Either yes or no.

My Holton is a 1. I'm no girly-man.

But I don't know about your PT-606. After all, it's a C tuba, and that seems awfully close to the line over which you'll be talking about this mouthpiece giving you more color than that one.

Rick "not to be outdone (except in playing)" Denney