Good quality, inexpensive EEb?
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Sam Gnagey
- 4 valves
- Posts: 613
- Joined: Sun Mar 21, 2004 9:09 am
- Location: Columbia City, Indiana
Here's one:
I have a very nice Yamaha 321s that is available. $1550 including case.
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Jay Bertolet
- pro musician
- Posts: 470
- Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2004 9:04 am
- Location: South Florida
I own a Cerveny 641 Eb and it is a very good tuba for what it is. It is a very small Eb that plays and sounds like a really small F (and with all the problematic notes you find on small F tubas). It makes an excellent solo instrument. I only use mine in ensembles when we're playing music that really requires a very small tuba sound. I've used it on some Berlioz, for example. Also on the oratorio Elijah. I've tinkered with it in some opera (before I got my cimbasso) and even on the Brahms Requiem. I even used it once for Bydlo. I wouldn't use it for most ensemble playing.
I agree with LV and others, the Yamaha 321 is probably your best bet for the money. I used to play one before I could afford to pick my Eb tubas for more specialized tasks. When I could afford only one Eb, it was a Yamaha 321. My only complaints were that the valves seemed a bit quirky and that the sound got a bit tight and bright for me in the low register. As another poster pointed out, this is a non-compensating horn so the low E natural is pretty much nonexistent. Without the real possibility of a 5th valve, you have to take that into account when considering this horn. All that said, if you play one you like and the valves work okay, it might be exactly what you're looking for.
My opinion for what it's worth...
I agree with LV and others, the Yamaha 321 is probably your best bet for the money. I used to play one before I could afford to pick my Eb tubas for more specialized tasks. When I could afford only one Eb, it was a Yamaha 321. My only complaints were that the valves seemed a bit quirky and that the sound got a bit tight and bright for me in the low register. As another poster pointed out, this is a non-compensating horn so the low E natural is pretty much nonexistent. Without the real possibility of a 5th valve, you have to take that into account when considering this horn. All that said, if you play one you like and the valves work okay, it might be exactly what you're looking for.
My opinion for what it's worth...