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Could you be more specific such as your price range, specific horns or what type of playing you will be doing (solo,quintet, wind ensemble etc.).

Don't dismiss the Besson just because it has three valves. If this is a compensating model it really eliminates most of the need for a fourth valve. The fourth valve would allow you to play low Eb below the staff which quite honestly is rarely seen in most of the music you would likely see in say a community band. The rest of the benefits of the fourth valve our for intonation issues that the compensating system (if your horn has one) takes care of. If you really care about sound and not looks these can be very good buys.

Good BBb that is always in demand -- Miraphone 186 -- 4 valve rotary -- holds its value but also not cheap vs. some alternatives such as a used old style King 2341 or even a new King 2341. Free blowing 4 piston valves with an American sound vs the German sound of the Miraphone. The Miraphones are the most consistent from one horn to the next while the Kings vary significantly from one example to the next. Really recommend you try a horn before buying it.

Once you get some of your chops back I would really recommend you go try several horns at someplace like Dillons Music in NJ or Baltimore Brass in MD or Woodwinds and Brass in South Bend IN.

Welcome back & good luck!

TubaTuck wrote:I've secured a rental instrument from Brook Mays (3-valve Besson BBb) and will use this horn to determine how far out of playing shape I am.

I would not expect, as another poster suggested, that this instrument has compensating valves. Brook Mays would not be likely to have such an instrument in their rental fleet. A plain student-model modern equivalent of a Stratford is more likely.

The suggestion of a Miraphone 186 is a good one, but don't get a new one. Get a used model, used enough so that its price is under $3000, but not used so much that the price needs to be less than about $2500. It will be worth exactly that when you make your decision, and if you decide not to continue you can sell it and have free or nearly free rental. Get a technician to make the usualy tune-up repairs on the valve linkages, etc. I think you'll enjoy playing at any level more with a better instrument than a three-valve Besson.

When I returned to playing, I also had a three-valve Besson, and I had a lot of trouble playing it in tune. I thought it was me, until I was able to afford a better instrument, when I discovered it wasn't (all) me.

The suggestion of an older King 2341 is also a good one. They typicall sell for a little less than $2000. If you can find one old enough to be a 1241 instead of a 2341, I suspect it will be even better. Get one with the upright bell.

A good used instrument will provide more value to you than a shiny new instrument that isn't any good.

But if you really want something new, plan a road trip down to San Antonio to visit Orpheus Music. They are importing a range of Chinese-made Dalyan tubas that are a reasonable value and many are priced under $3000 new, with a decent hard case. They will have several to choose from, especially if you work with them in advance. I've played one of them and thought it quite competent, and they have gotten reasonable reviews from much better players than me.

Beware that many Chinese-made tubas are not worthy. I played one a little while ago that was a copy of a high-end Miraphone, and the C below the staff was a full quarter-tone flat, even with all the fourth-valve slides in. And the instrument didn't have anything like the same sound and response as the Miraphone it copied. Often, the poor Chinese instruments are flogged on ebay for prices too good to be true, and those are best avoided. The Besson would be a better choice.

One final note--A three-valve Besson is not really a bad instrument, it's just not as much fun to play as it ought to be. If you don't mind three valves and don't care if the instrument is funky, there are lots of great old three-valve tubas with forward bells, such as the Conn 20J, that can do adequate service in most community bands. They would be more fun than the Besson, and can be bought usually for around $1000. If you can find one with an upright bell, so much the better. But with an upright bell and four valves, you'll be in the price range of other choices. If your budget is smaller still, then an old three-valve Besson might be the best choice. At least it is playable, unlike some of the shiny tuba-like sculptures being sold on ebay. But buying it out of the rental fleet at Brook Mays is probably not the way to get the best deal on one, and they are only a worthy purchase at the right price.

Visit the Shops link, and give both Dillon Music and Baltimore Brass a call. Both of them often have instruments priced for returning hobbyists like you, some of which they don't advertise. And both of them will give you appropriate and honest advice.

Good luck with your comeback. I predict that you will be hooked.

Rick "who thinks it's cheaper to buy used and sell later than to rent" Denney

Hi, Scott!

I talked to you on the phone yesterday. Hey! Relax and have some fun. It really is like riding a bike. You never really forget.

TubaTuck wrote:
You guys want me to record my first few attempts, after 26 years off, and the I'll post 'em as MP3 files under the heading,
"Jackass Caught in a Barbed-Wire Fence"?

No thanks. Some of us have already heard that song, up close and personal.

May I presume to suggest: visit your local music store and purchase a copy of Rubanks. Get the Beginner and Intermediate volumes and play through them with a critical ear. If you will...play "pass-offs" for yourself. Don't skip ANYTHING.

There are two cases - you can play through the Beginner volume perfectly in 15 minutes...or, you can't. If you can, blame me for the wasted 15 minutes and the purchase price. If you can't....then that was the right place to start!

Second...as soon as you make it through the Beginner volume, find an ensemble to play with. Then find another...and another...oops- sorry, I have to go now, I'm late for rehearsal.

I concur with the Rubank. Especially when you get through the beginner and intermediate to the advanced. The advanced is two volumes arranged in "units" of increasing difficulty by key signature, and each unit has a comprehensive set of exercises to work all aspects of playing: intonation, phrasing, flexibility, solo interpretation, etc.

TubaTuck wrote:Ken, that's a helpful post. Brooks Mays didn't have Rubanks for Tuba.
Thanks again,
Scott Tucker

If Brook Mays doesn't have these books, what tuba books do they have? You don't find more standard books than these.

You can always order the lot from Hickeys.