St. Petersburg vs Miraphone

[GC]

St. Pete compares to Miraphone like a pile of cow manure compares to a bag of processed organic fertilizer. There are uses for both and they can perform the same functions, but there are issues of wide applicability, quality control, price, and, of course, the yuck factor.

Truthfully, I like the sound of a St. Pete, but it's easy to tell the difference in construction, durability, and sound.

[chuck neidhardt]

This is a no brainer - any school which can afford 4 new Miraphones should get them, fast!

[tubaguy9]

I played a St. Pete in high school, it is definately not a good horn. all of the bad rumors are true, except that it is hard to dent (generally) it's sound is no where near as rich as a 186. and in a short time you'd have to tighten the rotor springs just to keep them moving decently fast.

I have an OLD Miraphone (being 35 years old) and the rotor springs still work great. I just can't complain about the springs of the Miraphone. I'll have to agree on the tuba choices that Lee Stofer made, being:
-Miraphone 186
-King 2341
I'll agree with those two, and don't know about the others, but I'll go with the King 2341, as that if you have a bigger guy on the instrument, the 186 will overblow easier with enough air, and cirtain mouthpieces.

[MileMarkerZero]

I agree with Lee about the Meinl-Westons...those things are built like an Abrams tank.

But if the choice is between Miraphone and St. Pete, that's a no-brainer. There is a high school here in Knoxville that bought 4 new ones from He Who Is Not To Be Mentioned about 4-5 years ago. They are falling apart. The linkage has had to be re-worked, they are beat to he!!, the slides are frozen, the valves have to be dis-assembled and thoroughly serviced at least once every 10 days or so or they lock up.

St. Petersburg vs. Miraphone? Thats like putting Jerry Lewis and George Foreman in the ring together.

[lgb&dtuba]

I agree with Lee about the Meinl-Westons...those things are built like an Abrams tank.

But if the choice is between Miraphone and St. Pete, that's a no-brainer. There is a high school here in Knoxville that bought 4 new ones from He Who Is Not To Be Mentioned about 4-5 years ago. They are falling apart. The linkage has had to be re-worked, they are beat to he!!, the slides are frozen, the valves have to be dis-assembled and thoroughly serviced at least once every 10 days or so or they lock up.

St. Petersburg vs. Miraphone? Thats like putting Jerry Lewis and George Foreman in the ring together.

A high school? Frozen slides? Beat all to hell?

I don't care anything about St. Pete's but this sounds like too hostile an environment for any tuba to fare better in.

A rotary tuba IMHO is a more delicate instrument than a piston instrument. Why anyone would subject them to high schoolers is beyond me.

I have a Sanders stencil (Cerveny) I bought new from the same source 25 years ago that is much like a St. Pete's in that it's thin and has to be handled with TLC. It's still in relatively good shape and I play it a LOT. But I wouldn't give it 6 months life in the average high school band, let alone 4-5 years.

What is the best horn for a high school seems like a whole separate topic. My take is don't let the little gorillas anywhere near a real tuba of any brand.

Jim Wagner

[Tubaguy56]

okay, I'm going to take the 3 horns I've played here and give my opinion.

the cerveny and the miraphone I went back and forth between because I couldn't decide which one I liked better.

Meinl Weston I found for a student player required too much air, and others have said that it is a "vacuum"

[Chuck(G)]

I have a Sanders stencil (Cerveny) I bought new from the same source 25 years ago that is much like a St. Pete's in that it's thin and has to be handled with TLC. It's still in relatively good shape and I play it a LOT. But I wouldn't give it 6 months life in the average high school band, let alone 4-5 years

One of the local high schools has an Amati BBb, purchased about 20 years ago. Looks almost new. That may have less to do with the construction and more to do with not being able to play it in tune at all.