Point and shoot tuba

[ghmerrill]

The Eb used to be rather well thought of, it seemed to me anyway, and if it has been the cause of suffering as described above, I think this is the first time I've heard about it.

People with pretty large hands have a much easier time with it. The valves are just stretched out a bit, and pretty much straight inline rather than having a better ergonomic curve. A response that some people have taken is to play the 4th valve with the index finger of the left hand -- in the manner of a compensating horn. I loved the sound of it and the response.

[Donn]

People with pretty large hands have a much easier time with it. The valves are just stretched out a bit, and pretty much straight inline rather than having a better ergonomic curve.

I suppose playing position probably makes a difference, too. The YEB321 player I see fairly regularly in person plays standing up, and holds it more sideways than upright, maybe about 40° from sideways. I suppose he's around 5'6''.

I believe that YBB103 is not just in the same size class as a Eb tubas, it's significantly smaller than the Besson 981 etc. Those things are ... well, length is a mystery, but looks like 40 inches to me, and over 20 lbs, vs YBB103 at 34 inches, 12 lbs - and with valves on the front, which is much more manageable if you ever play standing.

[ghmerrill]

And the list price on a 983 is over $19,000 with the discounted price of a new one being over $11,000. There is (was?) one on Tubnet used for $5,800 -- which would seem to be a good price. viewtopic.php?f=4&t=66786

The new Wessex Gnagey 5-valve non-comp Eb is a tad less than $4,000 in silver plate. And their compensating Eb horns (19" or 16.5" bell) are in the $3,000-ish range (or a bit less for lacquer).

It would be interesting to see some head-to-head comparisons of all these horns by a competent and objective player with no axe to grind one way or the other.

[cozzagiorgi]

Uuuh $19000 is a little to much...

I actually never quite understood the difference between compensated and non compensated. Would a non compensated horn be more difficult to play for me? Does it take more tuning-wise? Slide pulling?

[T. J. Ricer]

If I were in your shoes I'd be looking for a Yamaha YEB-321 for Eb or a King 2341 (new or old style) for a BBb. Both are as close to point-and-shoot as I've found and both show up in the used market under $2500 if you look around a bit. Both are ~.689 bore, so should be pretty manageable for a bass 'bone player.

The YEB-321 bugle is very, very similar to the Besson 980, 981, 982, and 983. I'm pretty sure it's a non-comp copy of the smaller bell Boosey/Besson as are most of the Eb tubas on the market. Point being, the pitch is very similar and you don't have the extra weight of the compensating system... I played one in college as my first bass tuba and it kind of ruined me for F tuba for a long time, as pitch and evenness of response was so much better than just about every F I picked up.

-T. J.

[cozzagiorgi]

Ok I think I'll gonna go the compensating Eb route. Thats what most people play here abouts and thats what I am the most familiar with already.

The Yamaha YEB-321 seems like a good choice, but I prefer the 3+1 valve cluster. What would be the model number for this?

Any other tubas I should look into? What are the good used tuba dealers out there?

[THE TUBA]

Any other tubas I should look into? What are the good used tuba dealers out there?

Check the "For Sale" section on this website, as it is probably the most popular place to sell used tubas around. There are some ads for tubas posted on NetInstruments.com. You can also check eBay, but buyer beware.

For stores that also sell used horns, check out Dillon Music, Baltimore Brass, The Tuba Exchange, WWBW, Lee Stofer Music, TubaStudio.com, The Horn Guys, etc.

Also, FWIW, I throw another vote for the Besson 983

[cozzagiorgi]

Ok, now i need your help to get a sense on the market. What about this baby:
http://www.hornguys.com/collections/eb- ... nn-4j-bell" target="_blank

[highsierra]