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Has anyone played both of these and can make an intelligent comparison? I have owned, and sold when I had to but not because I wanted to, a Norwegian Star. I cannot afford a new one; am wondering if I would hate myself if I got a Danube. I like Eb tubas and they fit fine what I want to do with them. Rotors only, personal preference.
TIA.

I played the Miraphone NS in comparison with a St. Pete and Meinl-Weston, but not the Danube in Eb - all rotary versions.
I, therefore, cannot provide my view in response to your specific question, but, as new, the Miraphone is x3 the cost of the Danube in the UK.
I can say that the Miraphone was beautifully put together as you would expect.
If I had gone for one that I tried, I would have probably gone for the St.Pete Eb. The build standard was not quite Miraphone but retailed at half the cost.

What’s a “Danube?”

I played the Danube shortly after it first was available on the market. I've also played the NS a few times at different conferences. The Danube that I played was not quite ready for primetime. It was definitely not on the same level as the Miraphone. However, with that said, Wessex has done a great job at improving their tubas over the past few years. For example, when the Wessex XL first came out, I really liked the tuba, but it still was lacking in some areas for me to purchase for everyday use. Several months ago, I purchased a new Wessex XL, and it's a really good tuba. Slides, rotary valves, etc are all great. I've used this tuba almost exclusively on many jobs over the past few months, and it has performed well. I would definitely recommend trying out the Danube.

Wessex has improved their line of recent releases, but that doesn't mean they have improved the Danube. Until evidence presents itself otherwise, I would say keep your distance from it

GeoffC_UK wrote: ↑Mon Feb 07, 2022 2:41 am I played the Miraphone NS in comparison with a St. Pete and Meinl-Weston, but not the Danube in Eb - all rotary versions.
I, therefore, cannot provide my view in response to your specific question, but, as new, the Miraphone is x3 the cost of the Danube in the UK.
I can say that the Miraphone was beautifully put together as you would expect.
If I had gone for one that I tried, I would have probably gone for the St.Pete Eb. The build standard was not quite Miraphone but retailed at half the cost.

Would you mind speaking a little more to the strengths and weaknesses of the St. Pete? Seems like a good mid-level rotary option for Eb players wanting some “F-tuba camouflage”! The St. Pete Eb is rare enough that many of us don’t have any experience with one. (I’ve tried their BBb and CC tubas in the distant past, if that helps for comparison).

Thanks,
T. J.

"...Would you mind speaking a little more to the strengths and weaknesses of the St. Pete? Seems like a good mid-level rotary option for Eb players wanting some “F-tuba camouflage”! The St. Pete Eb is rare enough that many of us don’t have any experience with one. (I’ve tried their BBb and CC tubas in the distant past, if that helps for comparison)....."

Morning TJ,
Firstly, context. I am from England and a decent player. Brought up on Eb compensating horns with 3+1 pistons. Love them.
I took up a kind invitation to try-out a variety of continental rotary Eb horns with Mr. Tuba (www.mrtuba.com) in Wales - great guy and an expert.
I had just over an hour playing about six different Eb tubas, including a silver NS and a lacquered one, too.
So, my time on each was limited and I have little rotary valve experience to draw upon.
I play with a Vincent Bach 24AW, normally, but this did not suit any of the horns, so was given a PT-65 and there was a clear improvement in all.
The St. Pete sat well in my lap. Felt comfortable to hold. The sound was warm, which I liked. The finish looked ok to me, but my host suggested that it did not match that of the Miraphone. The valve action felt a little clunky, but so did they all, as I am truly a piston-guy.
The Miraphone NS had a more direct sound than the St.Pete, especially in silver. The NS in silver was the best of the bunch, overall playability, but not by a massive margin over the St.Pete, which would justify spending twice as much to purchase.

High-def image of the NS tried:
https://stanshawe-my.sharepoint.com/:i: ... g?e=ZnlKEQ


High-def image of St.Pete tried:
https://stanshawe-my.sharepoint.com/:i: ... Q?e=fobf6Q


I will leave images available until end of February 2022.

Hope this little review helps? Geoff

Thanks for the descriptions. I realize I won't duplicate the NS, but the St Pete....I heard they basically fall apart in time. Maybe that was the older ones, but they didn't seem to have a good reputation on that level. Also, the NS was very playable in the low range and wondering of the SP is also. A bit stuffy, but nothing that couldn't be dealt with by someone used to rotors. I wish my arthritic hands would handle pistons, but they just don't any more. Not even on a euph.

my two issues with the SP are a very bright sound, and a poorly designed 5th valve lever. the throw is far too long.

Tubatooter wrote: ↑Thu Feb 10, 2022 7:24 pm Thanks for the descriptions. I realize I won't duplicate the NS, but the St Pete....I heard they basically fall apart in time. Maybe that was the older ones......

Having been directly involved in the manufacture of high-integrity systems and components for most of my working life, your observation is an extremely useful one.

I wish there was some international standard for tuba quality. That there was an independent body testing horns and giving their unbiased opinion on this or that horn.

But, no, that is not the case. Forums such as this one are our only way of sharing honest opinions about manufacturers and models. Long may it continue. G

And, unfortunately, at least in the US, and not speaking of tubas, quality has been on the downslide since the beginning of the Walmart-ization of America. You just can't get anything any good any more, or only rarely so, companies that managed to stay in business the last couple of years. Flannel is half as thick as it used to be, new kitchen gadgets have been flimsy-fied with thinner, cheaper, easily broken materials, and I shop for used stuff 15 or 20 years old because it will last longer than a new one and was not made "in that country" where it seems everything is made now. They try to fool us with "assembled in America" or "distributed in America" or "assembled in That Country of American parts." So it's not just tubas, and actually tubas don't seem to be going down in quality with existing manufacturers. I don't think tuba players would put up with that.