King BBb tubas - for schools

[ASTuba]

Somewhere a while back, I heard a rumor that Selmer had switched to using Jupiter valves on their 2340/1 tubas. I've not seen this to be the case, as most schools around here have YBB-321's.

The Kings are nice tubas, but I really like the Jupiters as well, you can't go wrong with either one in my book. Jupiters are nicer from a cost of parts point, which, in a public school setting, has to be a factor in any decision.

[iiipopes]

I was in high school in the late 1970's, and at that time my high school finally got the budget to get King tubas for concert band instead of having the fiberglass souzys do double duty. Of course, any tuba for concert band would have been so much better than the fiberglass, but even at that, with inexperienced ears, I could really tell the difference. I have not played the Jupiter tubas, but I can wholeheartedly recommend the 2340 and the 2341 as a great school instrument; indeed a great instrument, period.

Unfortunately, I would not be surprised at the rumours. Think about it: is there coincidence between "King" and "Jupiter" (king of the Roman pantheon)? And I have been up close with new Jupiter souzys, as the local university, in which I play in their community band, last year got all new Jupiter souzys, and they are exact copies, bore, valve nest, bugle, bell throat and rim diameter, etc., of the old King 1250's, of which I spent 4 years with the fiberglass version. I was concerned about their thin metal and therefore, their durability, however.