Yamaha F Tubas
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RealStefan
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Yamaha F Tubas
Do you think the F tubas that Yamaha has would be acceptable in a college level or orchestral level? I was thinking about getting one of them as my first tuba and then getting a CC from the college I want to go to since I know the teacher is an Eastman artist. Is this a good idea?
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MKTuba
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Re: Yamaha F Tubas
If you are getting them both very soon then maybe, but I would say get the CC first. The CC (or even BBb) is what you’ll do the bulk of your playing on, whereas the f is what you’ll use for chamber playing and solo works, or potentially in very light band / orchestra stuff.
The Yamaha F tubas are fantastic. The 822 is a wonderful tuba. I just personally don’t think it’s what you should start with.
The Yamaha F tubas are fantastic. The 822 is a wonderful tuba. I just personally don’t think it’s what you should start with.
B&S 3198 (PT6P)
Wilson 3200s
BM Tuba Performance @ Michigan State
Wilson 3200s
BM Tuba Performance @ Michigan State
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Easy Mac
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Re: Yamaha F Tubas
In the US the contrabass is your home base. I believe this is the case in Australia, too. (Those "crazy Germans" start on the F as kids.) The bass tuba is what you add later. You will always need a contrabass tuba. In fact — to be bluntly honest — you might never *need* a bass tuba. They are icing on the cake. Get the cake first. And don't rely on someone else's. Get your own.
After you have become a very proficient contrabass player then you can start to figure out the vagaries of the bass tuba. And most bass tubas have "vagaries" to figure out.
Best advice: buy a 4/4 CC or BBb tuba that your teacher likes (and likes you on). Go used and get a batter horn rather than shiny new that you can afford. In most cases a name brand from Europe is a good bet over most Asian horns. This is less the case now than it used to be, but it still applies, because most Asian horns will depreciate a LOT. If you buy a used Miraphone, Meinl-Weston, B&S (et al) the horn will have already suffered the large depreciation new horns suffer when resold, whereas a similarly priced new Asian instrument will take that hit when you sell it. It is like buying a car: $5000 for a new cheapo will lose a ton of value when you want to sell and move on. A used car worth the same price has already lost a few thousand due to depreciation, so what you bought it for is probably close to what you will bet for it if you take very good care of it. Tubas are like that, too, to a certain extent.
Also, you do not want a 6/4 CC tuba right out of the gates as most of these pose challenges to a younger player that will have to be overcome at the same time they are learning to be a good player. It is like learning to read, write and speak all at once. A 4/4 tuba generally will play fairly neutral in most ways, making it easier to learn how to be a good tuba player while not getting in your way.
Most F tubas have issues that, if you are still learning the fundamentals of playing and basic musicianship, will make things that much more difficult and time consuming for you.
You can *always* get new tubas. Right now you need one that is a good vehicle for you to learn and master the skills of playing. NO ONE needs a 6/4 CC York-o-phone when they get to college, no one needs an F tuba when they first start out, either.
Final advice? Do not buy ANYTHING if the school has a decent horn for you to use your freshman year. Use that time with your teacher to determine what they think your best bet is, THEN start shopping. Have the money ready to go at any time because sometimes horns will go up for sale and disappear within hours, so you have to be ready to jump on one when the time is right for you. Allow your teacher to guide you. If you are not absolutely comfortable with this then you need to look at another teacher. Lastly, as my teacher told me, "Save your money for a good horn, not for a cheap one. And don't blow your tuba money on beer and cigarettes."
In the end, you are seeking free advice from a bunch of guys on the Internet. You really need to be posing these questions to your future teacher and not us.
Best of luck!
PS — Also, Yamaha F tubas are like all tubas: you need to try them to decide whether they are "good" as tubas have a lot of quirks that vary from model to model and many times within one model. They are inconsistent most of the time. Even five Eastmans or five Miraphones will all play somewhat differently. Some here love Yamaha F tubas and some don't. Most do not really care for their Bbb tubas (the 321/201 and the 641 especially get a lot of hate). But I like the Yamaha F tubas and owned one for many years. You have to decide whether the sound they make is to your liking. Generally they play pretty well with pretty good response and intonation. Some of them are duds. Some are amazing. Try to get your hands on as many tubas as you can. Become friends with local players and ask if you can try their horn for a few minutes while they sit there. Keep notes. After a while you will have a better idea what you want, and what you end up wanting may surprise you.
After you have become a very proficient contrabass player then you can start to figure out the vagaries of the bass tuba. And most bass tubas have "vagaries" to figure out.
Best advice: buy a 4/4 CC or BBb tuba that your teacher likes (and likes you on). Go used and get a batter horn rather than shiny new that you can afford. In most cases a name brand from Europe is a good bet over most Asian horns. This is less the case now than it used to be, but it still applies, because most Asian horns will depreciate a LOT. If you buy a used Miraphone, Meinl-Weston, B&S (et al) the horn will have already suffered the large depreciation new horns suffer when resold, whereas a similarly priced new Asian instrument will take that hit when you sell it. It is like buying a car: $5000 for a new cheapo will lose a ton of value when you want to sell and move on. A used car worth the same price has already lost a few thousand due to depreciation, so what you bought it for is probably close to what you will bet for it if you take very good care of it. Tubas are like that, too, to a certain extent.
Also, you do not want a 6/4 CC tuba right out of the gates as most of these pose challenges to a younger player that will have to be overcome at the same time they are learning to be a good player. It is like learning to read, write and speak all at once. A 4/4 tuba generally will play fairly neutral in most ways, making it easier to learn how to be a good tuba player while not getting in your way.
Most F tubas have issues that, if you are still learning the fundamentals of playing and basic musicianship, will make things that much more difficult and time consuming for you.
You can *always* get new tubas. Right now you need one that is a good vehicle for you to learn and master the skills of playing. NO ONE needs a 6/4 CC York-o-phone when they get to college, no one needs an F tuba when they first start out, either.
Final advice? Do not buy ANYTHING if the school has a decent horn for you to use your freshman year. Use that time with your teacher to determine what they think your best bet is, THEN start shopping. Have the money ready to go at any time because sometimes horns will go up for sale and disappear within hours, so you have to be ready to jump on one when the time is right for you. Allow your teacher to guide you. If you are not absolutely comfortable with this then you need to look at another teacher. Lastly, as my teacher told me, "Save your money for a good horn, not for a cheap one. And don't blow your tuba money on beer and cigarettes."
In the end, you are seeking free advice from a bunch of guys on the Internet. You really need to be posing these questions to your future teacher and not us.
Best of luck!
PS — Also, Yamaha F tubas are like all tubas: you need to try them to decide whether they are "good" as tubas have a lot of quirks that vary from model to model and many times within one model. They are inconsistent most of the time. Even five Eastmans or five Miraphones will all play somewhat differently. Some here love Yamaha F tubas and some don't. Most do not really care for their Bbb tubas (the 321/201 and the 641 especially get a lot of hate). But I like the Yamaha F tubas and owned one for many years. You have to decide whether the sound they make is to your liking. Generally they play pretty well with pretty good response and intonation. Some of them are duds. Some are amazing. Try to get your hands on as many tubas as you can. Become friends with local players and ask if you can try their horn for a few minutes while they sit there. Keep notes. After a while you will have a better idea what you want, and what you end up wanting may surprise you.
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RealStefan
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- Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2023 1:41 am
- Location: Melbourne, Australia
Re: Yamaha F Tubas
Thank you for the insight, I will probably try and work to get money for a personal CC tuba then and it is a few years until I head off to college so I will not have the option to get one from there for a while. My school only has messed up BBs now and isn't really willing to spend that much money to get me a CC tuba.