compare Weril, Sanders, Jupiter

[chipster55]

Then get some POS Jupiter or Amati for the remaining $2000 that none of us will cry over when some kid sends 'er down a flight of stairs.

Darn, that one hurt - I'm poor & work for a living, so I could only afford an Amati.

[prototypedenNIS]

I worked in a instrument repair for the past 8 year during the summers and I will NOT buy a Cerveny or Amati after seeing the weak metal and abuse the instruments took.

THANK YOU!
Ah! As a repair tech I would say many more band teachers need to work with repair techs for awhile (or even ask them about instruments).
Some teachers will think, I'd rather have a newer good looking horn for the band, then they buy an Amati. 2 years later, it it looks much worse than the used King we tried to sell them for 500$ less.

sorry, I kinda ranted there....

[Rick Denney]

I have to wonder if Conn 36K fiberglass sousasphones might sometimes be the best choice.

Not for his budget, heh, heh.

I played a King fiberglass sousaphone from 7th through halfway through 12th grade. In the last half of my senior year, I was rewarded with a Miraphone 186 that my band director had borrowed from a local university. I knew it was an honor and I took good care of it, but musically I don't think I really appreciated it at the time.

Rick "who didn't own his own instrument until age 26" Denney

[Rick Denney]

I'm looking at the Weril J680L, Jupiter 482L, and I'm only considering the Sanders because on the professor that recommended it.

Add the Dalyan to your list, especially since (I see now) you are in Texas. The Dalyan Prague is a little larger than the Weril, but it has a larger bore and will reward better air movement. The small Weril is like the small Yamaha, and backs up if you feed too much air into it. The Prague is more forgiving in that regard. The King is easier to play and a wonderful tuba, but nothing in your price range is like the King.

Rick "who suggests a phone call to Jim Gavigan at Orpheus Music" Denney

[ai698]

I own the Weril CC (my main $$ horn) and played on the Jupiter 482 at TMEA a couple of years ago. IMHO, if Jupiter made the 482 or 582 in a CC, I'd buy it in a heartbeat for a small horn. The Weril is great for the price and is fairly durable. Jupiter's in the past (10-15 years ago) were a POS, but they've made great progress and good instruments in the past 5 years. Having taught for over 11 years, rotary valves scare me in the hands of a middle school student. Remember, Jupiter US headquarters is based in Austin, TX, fyi.

[prototypedenNIS]

pssshaw... why march with a sousa when you can take a 5/4 BBb Boosey and strap it to yourself with a drum sling?

[Tabor]

another option might be to look for some nice reconditioned used tubas (which might even play better) for everyone else.

There are some very talented repair people who post on this board who may have something in inventory that could save your school some money in the short run by being less expensive, and also in the long run by being a better instrument.

There is also always Taylor music in Aberdeen, SD.

Taylor music is where I bought my (new) Mirafone 186. I would have bought a reconditioned older 186, but the waiting list was too long for me at that point. They have a good repair shop and often have reconditioned tubas in stock and ready to go.

I recommended Taylor to a beginning student's mom and she bought her son an econo overhauled saxophone and used their payment plan. It was a MUCH better saxophone than the new ones the school was buying and it cost quite a bit less.

their website is www.1800usaband.com

good luck finding the best fit for your middle school budget.

[iiipopes]

I agree with Bloke that if you MUST use fiberglass, the older horns are better. I personally prefer a slightly pre-UMI King sousaphone, because in my experience the smaller (.687) bore centers the tone and gives better projection than the larger bore Conn.

[Tubageek]

Add the Dalyan to your list, especially since (I see now) you are in Texas.

I played the Dalyans at the Midwest Clinic for about half an hour. I was really impressed with how they played, but they were VERY, VERY poorly put together. It was fun playing them, but I shudder at the idea of having to try to fix one. I'm not saying don't get one, but they're not built up to Weril standards yet, so keep that in mind.

Scott

[ken k]

King makes a nice 3/4 size tuba (1135? with the front-action valves) It uses the valve set from the old Conn 12J and is pretty well in tune with itself. It also has good sturdy bracing and should last awhile. It is only 3 valves so if you were looking for 4 valves then this won't help. I think you could get 2 of these horns with your $7000. and they would last a long time.

ken k

[TubaRay]

You can stop yelling now. Or should I say, "YOU CAN STOP YELLING NOW!"

[SplatterTone]

Teletype machine. And the vacuum tube for lower case has done burnt out.

[TubaRay]

Could you please post Dr. Bloke Blokendorfer's credentials? He may have something significant to say, but it won't be worth reading if he doesn't have the proper academic credentials.

[chuck neidhardt]

After 26 years as a junior high/ms band director, 36 years total, I retired last June. Over the years I spent a great deal of time looking for the right tuba for the ms student and my needs as a band director. A few years ago I came across the Weril at a conference. I played it for quite awhile and decided to buy it. It turned out to be a great horn for the ms kid. It fits very well, comes with four front action piston valves and doesn't dent too easily. It isn't stuffy at all and has good intonation. My experience with the Sanders is that it is stuffy and hard to play in tune, expecially for the ms student. I don't have much experience with the Jupiter, but the other Jupiter instruments, i.e. clarinet, flute etc. have never seemed to hold up more than a couple of years.

I also got a Weril vavle trombone from Dave Fedderly and found it to be every bit as good as the tuba.
Chuck

[Rick Denney]

...and Mr. Denney was not, at that time, able to take advantage of my amazing patented program "HOS" - a program that guarantees success or your money back!

It wasn't available in my youth, of course, but I have considered that program and am committed to giving it all the respect it deserves.

Rick "who was not swayed by the impressive, if clearly fraudulent array of credentials" Denney