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Tonight I played my new (to me) Cerveny Piggy in a band rehearsal for 2 hours. My lips were numb after the rehearsal and in the heat of the moment used some BBb fingerings by mistake. Just the more reason to practice and get it right!

But I'm amazed at the sound that the Piggy is capable of. When I bought it last Saturday, I had only played it inside of a house with the typical 8' ceiling and lots of upholstered furniture. So I didn't get a real good realistic impression for how the horn would project and resonate until tonight. The Lawrence County Community Band rehearses in a school auditorium and boy does this horn speak from CC all the way to C5.

George

Good horn for the price, but I'd choose others over it. Not a big Cerveny fan.

And speaking of long rehearsals, I remember one time in District Band, we played for 6 hours straight with one 15 minute break within, and I still have the indent from my mouthpiece on my upper lip.

Water Music wrote:Good horn for the price, but I'd choose others over it. Not a big Cerveny fan. .

Funny, I love them, although I don't own one right now, I'm kind of on the hunt again for one. I'm glad you got your horn George. Welcome back to tuba playing.
Peace.
ASG

I'll probably get flamed for this, but I have always thought of Czerveny tubas as Miraphone wannabes.

Anyway, welcome to the land of the living!

There is something about those little Piggys though. I found that it is easy to immediately get a great sound out of them with little effort.

I wouldn't hit the audition circuit with one, but there is something about them that makes them fun and very accessible to play that is well worth the price. If you could list that "fun to play" factor in the specs, the Piggy would score very high. I would recommend it to anyone who just wants to get out play no matter what their skill level.

TubaRay wrote:I'll probably get flamed for this, but I have always thought of Czerveny tubas as Miraphone wannabes.

Not a flame, but Cerveny came first, by a century. The V.F. Cerveny factory was founded in 1842, first tubas made in 1845 vs. Miraphone's post WWII founding in 1946.

Marty "who has owned both" Neilan

I am completely aware of the fact that Cervenys were historically first, Marty. I just wouldn't trade my Miraphone for two of them. I also understand that instruments are a very personal thing, almost as much as mouthpieces. From my own personal experience, I don't feel the Cerveny is in the same league as Miraphone. For me, I can't produce the sound I am looking for with the Cerveny.