If you could do it all again....

[MartyNeilan]

If I could do it all again, I would get Cisco certified instead of a music ed degree. That way I could afford any tuba I wanted.

[Lew]

I agree that Eb is a very versatile instrument, but that is irrelevant to US orchestras if a position with one of them is what one seeks. In that case now you really need to play CC and F. When I entered college in the early 70s as an engineering major all I knew was BBb and that's what they had for the band musicians, so I was fine with that. That wasn't really a choice, but I don't think I would have changed it and it has never been an issue in the community bands in which I play or have played.

[EdFirth]

I started college after getting out of the West Point Band in 73'. I was the only guy playing a C, a Kaiser Cerveny. In retrospect I still would have played C but on a Mirafone 188 if they were even around then. The teacher played on a Besson Eb.Ed

[Lew]

I agree that Eb is a very versatile instrument, but that is irrelevant to US orchestras

Why would it be irrelevant?

I say it is irrelevant because most orchestras in the US have a bias against using them. Of course, that doesn't mean that if you had one and tried to use it instead of an F that most conductors would have a clue that it was any different. On the other hand, even the largest Eb would seem small compared to the CCs that are expected for most pieces and most conductors would question their use for most playing, even if they heard it and its sound worked.

[hbcrandy]

In this country, the Contrabass tuba in CC seems to be the preferred tuba of professional orchestra players. The eb is a bass tuba. In the 1970's and 1980's. Paaul Kryzwicki used the Eb as his bass tuba in the Philadelphia Orchestra. I designed one for him in the early 1980's that he owned and used for about 9 years. He did eventually switch back to F tuba.

[Donn]

hm, something about this discussion seems vaguely familiar, a slight impression of déjà vu.

[iiipopes]

I wouldn't. Just like now - tuba for fun, bass guitar for weekend warrior $$$. I actually turned down the department chair of my post-grad university on his offer to switch from law to masters in tuba performance. That way, it was still more fun to be able to out-play and out-march the other grad students and music majors!