A visit to Custom Music

[williamp]

I recently stopped in a Custom Music in Ferndale, MI and tried some of their BBbs, and thought I'd share my experience.

I had called ahead and talked to Neil Campbell and let him know that I would like to play on some larger bore, professional quality BBbs, as I was hoping to find something with more bottom and heft than my old King 2341 provided. I had made a couple of trips to WWBW and had not played anything that really felt comfortable (the closest being the Miraphone 1291).

When I arrived at Custom, I was happy to see that Neil had taken the time to have everything set up and ready. A chair with five spankin' new tubas was waiting, and all the tubas were in excellent playing order (valves and slides oiled and working perfectly). Neil had pulled out 4 B&Ss and a German made Nischl. All of the horns had a great core to the sound and were big step up from the 2341 (yes, I realize it is hard to compare these sounds with the smaller bore American horn).

I started with the 5/4 B&S GR-55 in rose brass and was pleasantly surprised by the terrific response from this large tuba. The sound was rich and dark and the bottom seemed limitless. I have particularly small hands and the rotary valves were quick and comfortable. I played through scales and pitches were slotted very well -- I was content to keep playing the GR-55, but moved on to a PT-1.

The PT-1 was much less compact, with the bell much further away. Again as with all the horns I played, the response was above average, but after playing the GR-55, it seemed to be missing a "warmth" that the GR-55 had. This was confirmed by my wife (a professionally trained musician), who simply commented "the first one sounds a lot nicer."

Next I played the PT-605, which seems to me basically the 4/4 version of the GR-55. This horn played terrific. Again, very compact, exceptionally well slotted in scale and terrific response. I tried to convince myself that I liked its sound as much as the 5/4 (it's $1500 cheaper), but the depth of sound of the GR-55 was too noticeable to disregard.

I didn't spend much time with the PT-2P, as by then I was wanting to play the GR-55 more and the rotary valves were much more comfortable for me.

The Nirschl was interesting. The sound was dark and rich, but I had more difficulty slotting pitches playing through scales. The large finger buttons were uncomfortable for me. I was thinking that although the horn responded well and the sound was one I liked, the horn would be more work and harder to play in tune.

It was becoming more and more obvious to me that the GR-55 was the horn I was looking for. After I was done playing the horns, Neil asked my thoughts. Whereas some people might like someone hovering over them offering comments, I really appreciated the time left alone to play. I asked about any financing that Custom might offer and Neal was very upfront in suggesting I look elsewhere, as their rates were not competitive. I appreciated his honesty. My wife and I had lunch at the nearby Flytrap Diner (AWESOME!) and she could tell I was in love. "So when are you going to tell him to hold it for you?" she asked.
Neil arranged to have the tuba delivered to my work, saving me another trip to Ferndale. I am loving this horn. If anyone knows someone interested in a nice old King with 2 bells, they can email me at ragtimeband@comcast.net" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank.

[The Big Ben]

My wife and I had lunch at the nearby Flytrap Diner (AWESOME!) and she could tell I was in love. "So when are you going to tell him to hold it for you?" she asked.
Neil arranged to have the tuba delivered to my work, saving me another trip to Ferndale. I am loving this horn.

A new horn and a good lunch. That was quite a day....

Glad you found something you like.

Could you check back in in a month to tell us how it is working out? That's always interesting...

[williamp]

I'll report back after awhile and let you know how it's going. I have my first ensemble playing with it this coming weekend and I'm really looking forward to it.

[swillafew]

I did much the same in May, came home with the PT-605. The PT-20p got compared with BBb horns, it was wonderful. Stuck with BBb though...

[Wyvern]

Congratulations on your new GR-55 - Sounds really great!

That is a model I would rather like to try, not least because they are gold brass, and my experience is that nearly always makes for a warmer sounding more refined tuba.