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I think this'd be perfect for a jr. higher, and they'd be able to keep it for a good long time.

-ck

The British have it right on, although in this country they fell out of favor after WWII, and are probably no longer being made due to everyone wanting 4 valves: a Besson 3-valve compensator Eb tuba: 2/3 as big as a BBb, which means lighter weight, and with the comp valves and a 15 inch bell it stays in tune and doesn't get in the way, and therefore it is much easier to play and hold on to it.

Barring that, Dalyan are inexpensive, but need care in the setup. Yamaha's 200 series are good, but expensive. Jupiter's 378, 382 or 482 would be good horns. WWBW pushes Allora, but I don't have any experience with them to know who makes them for WWBW, and thus no idea of playability or durability.
Josef Lidl has good press, but I don't know the status of their importer.

I'm sure there are others; that's all I can think of right now. Check the instrument manufacturers link at brass-forum.co.uk for a table of who makes what.

If you decide to go 3/4, be sure to look into Weril. They also make 4/4's, and I've heard nothing but good things about them, but I've never tried them myself. The little 3/4 I tried, though, played very nicely. It was a little squirrely WAY up high (above the staff; actually, that might have been ME that was squirrely ), but in the range Jr. High kids play in it was very nice indeed.
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Joe Baker, who may be calling a certain Memphis dealer about a Weril in the spring .

My experience with difference tubas is extremely limited. However, I did have the pleasure of playing a Besson 788 a couple months ago. I asked about it on Tubenet, and nobody had any info on it. I was able to find one picture of it on the Internet. It is a very compact horn, but still has a nice fundamental to the tone, good response, and good intonation. I see that Besson has come out with a model 1087 at what appears to be a reasonable price of about $2K. I have no idea how similar it is to the 788 in size or tone. If it is essentially a 788 with a fresh coat of paint, it's certainly worth a look.

I know this doesn't really answer your original post for full sized tuba. But I thought maybe somebody else might spend their money and report on horn. Enquiring minds want to know ... as long as somebody else is paying the bill.

The middle school I went to recently started the habit of buying full-size tubas after their former loyalty to the Yamaha 3-valve 3/4. The big horn is nice for some eighth-graders, but I know coming into sixth grade I was terrified enough as it is with the size of the (I realize now) tiny horn I was issued. The big horns are unwieldy for most of the kids there, and has the pleasure of literally being dropped straight forward from playing position every once in a while.

So, in short, I guess it'd be fine to get one, but don't switch over entirely.

My school band director was something of an extreme the other way. He had all 5th graders start out on baritone using the bass book to get used to BBb fingerings, playing the notes an octave higher than written, and did this all through Jr High school. At the time, all we had were fiberglass King sousaphones, and he would switch them in 9th grade with a 25 mouthpiece.

I still think that American public schools and the instrument makers are missing out not offering an Eb, as it is a true bass, it is no larger than a 3/4, usually has about the same bore, and therefore better lower intonation since the music usually doesn't require that many low notes anyway.

I've heard rumours that Jupiter is developing an Eb horn similar to the Besson 700 series.

In general, I would tend to avoid rotary valve horns. Kids have a myriad of different ways they can bang the linkages, etc. out of adjustment, and the relative simplicity of pistons can make repairs easier and less problematic. Both Weril and Cervany make relatively good student quality 4 piston BBbs if a 4th valve is practical in your situation. I wouldn't overlook used tubas if your school system is one that would consider buying used equiptment. I think some of the horns on eBay would make great student tubas, and they are frequently sold for under $1000.oo You'll get alot more "bang for your buck" shopping the used market with the aid of a competant local tuba player.

JohnH wrote:Older band methods used to include Eb fingerings, if you could get the publishers to include these again it could work. Of course, the real secret would be to convince directors that you could make a lighter, louder Eb shoulder tuba for marching. You'd sell thousands.

The Rubank method is still in print; I have a copy. It does have both fingerings. It is also one of the best all-around methods available. It is arranged in units by difficulty of key signature, and addresses all aspects, from breathing, articulation, intonation, ornaments, solo playing and embouchure development. I highly recommend it!

Oh, yeah, back to the original question: from my surfing, I have read uniformly positive comments about the Jupiter 378 for middle school: light weight, tough construction, good intonation, less cost.