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Pons wrote:The question comes in being, what other CC tubas should also be considered?

It is worth you also trying the B&S PT-20, PT-20P, PT-606P and MW 2155 - and see what grabs you.

i just bought a MW 32 and am happy with the sound it can produce

if you're on a budget try out a Kalison DS. not a bad horn.
and if not then definately hit the perantucci's and try out any hirsbrunner's you find.

Pons wrote:Thanks for the replies, I will check these tubas out. I am on a budget and $8000 is the most i'd spend; this would be for the MW 2145 if I like it. Other than look is there any difference between Silver and Lacquer finishes? Sound? or upkeep?

For $8,000, you can get any of the horns you listed above, either new or slightly used. If you find something you really like, keep an eye out for used ones. Doing this saved me more than $1,000 when I bought my 1291.

Based on your intended usage (including possible orchestra playing), I would suggest tht the 2145, the Miraphone 186, and the Cerveny Piggy should go a little lower on the list. In the Miraphone family, I'd favor the 1292 (which I liked better than the 1291) or the 188. You can use a smaller mpc and back off a bit with a bigger tuba in quintet, but it's a lot more work to turn a smaller tuba into an orchestral instrument. I was very impressed with the agility of the 1292, btw. You might also consider a Conn 52/54/56J horn. As an all-around tuba, the 52J or 54J would work well. My 56J is a bit broad sounding for quinet, but my quintet likes the sound.

For any/all models, try to get one with the best intonation possible. You may need to compromise between the "ideal sound" and "ideal intonation".

Cheers,

I agree with bob, the 1291 is a much better BBb tuba than a CC. for 8000 you could find some amazing horns. new is great but save money and find some necessories. I personally prefer silver horns, but thats mostly because i like silver. and with regular up keep and a jewler's polish cloth it's really not hard to keep them pretty. I know a guy at USF that owns a HB-50, (the 6/4 york-style bat) and he has it looking as good as the day he bought it. i do agree that brass colored horns sound darker in some brands. in the end use sound to decide.

Pons wrote:... I have looked at a few Conn tubas, the 5xj variety, what is the difference between the 52j/54j and 56j? It seems like the have the same specifications and such.

To the best of my knowledge, what differentiates the 52j / 54j / 56j is the bell diameter -- 52j is 18", 54j is 19", and 56j is 20".

WWBW Has a great deal on Miraphone 191 5 Valve BBb in gold brass for $6100 I just bought one and waiting for it to arrive.
Good luck

Doc wrote: Bob, our local eefer cheerleader, is not off the mark about Eb horns, despite the misconception among tubists that a player should only play CC and F. A large Eb like the Willson 3400 or the Meinl Weston 2141 are probably horns that are true do-it-all-if-I-could-only-own-one-horn horns.

Has anyone here blown a Norwegian Star? The advertising says it's great but I haven't heard about practical experience.

Contact DanClouse on this forum to get his opinions on his MW2141 Eb. It's working very well for him in a number of situations.

Post above is correct re: Conn models 52, 54, 56J -- only difference is bell diamter and associated breadth of sound.

If you're only going to have one tuba, the conventional wisdom is to get a 4/4 size. Or a large 4/4 size. The Miraphone 187 BBb or 188 CC, or the 1291/2 CC all fit this bill. Tubists are about the only folks who want a smaller sound for quintet, with exception of a few pros who really care about the character of the blend. My experience with amateur groups and amateur audiences is that a bigger tuba isn't a liability in a quintet. But a smaller tuba can be a challenge in an orchestral setting. Just my observation. For the best of both worlds, get a used YEB-321 Eb for your quintet horn (modestly priced) and a used 188/1291-2 for your larger horn. Probably a bit higher than $8K, but then you've got a choice.

As an adult amateur playing quintet, community concert band, brass choir (15pc), pit orchestras, church orchestras, my 20" bell Conn 56J is the horn I typically use. If it were a 54J or 52J, I think it would be a little better choice for the quintet setting, but otherwise, it works okay all around. I believe the 1292 CC would be an even better choice for my playing situations.

Good luck,

Steve Inman wrote: For the best of both worlds, get a used YEB-321 Eb for your quintet horn (modestly priced) . . .

Excellent advice

The 2040/5 Eb can certainly be used for symphonic use - I have mine more than once.

I am currently using for concert Berlioz Corsair/Verdi Requiem, but have previously used for Mahler 6 and Elgar 2 (where I was even asked by the conductor to back off ).

If you just do occasional orchestral and mainly smaller ensemble, then one would be an idea all-purpose tuba. However, if mainly playing in larger ensembles, then a 4/4 CC would I think be the better option.

Pons wrote:Also I am new to trying out tubas, I've usually used school instruments which I believe were the VMI 3301 and Mira. 1291. Specifically what notes should I look at to determine (as a litmus test) if the specific tuba has "ideal intonation"? Would it be the F just below the staff on Bb's? or Would you recommend just going through the notes that have given me consistent intonation trouble in the past?

Here's the problem with checking intonation --

Consciously or not, you'll be in the habit (hopefully, anyway) of correcting the intonation of the horn you've been playing on the most... and those corrections are likely to be different than what would be needed on a horn that you're trying out for the first time. You'll end up seeing "good intonation" on a horn that has the same tendencies of the one you already use while seeing "worse" intonation on a horn that has different tendencies.

Put another way -- some of those habitual corrections may throw another horn's notes out of whack, while a player who's already owned that other horn finds it easy to play in tune.

The best you can do, then, is to not overanalyze what you'll find with a tuner. See if as many notes as possible play pretty close to in tune, but don't get crazy about it and write down, say, which horns play which notes so-and-so cents off. If some don't easily tune, see how they respond to alternate fingerings, slide adjustments, or even a bit of embouchure tweaking.

Greg wrote:

The Big Ben wrote: Has anyone here blown a Norwegian Star? The advertising says it's great but I haven't heard about practical experience.

You know, if I had typed this, someone would have most certainly thrown out a snide remark or said something about "duck sausage".

LOL... I don't know why I didn't spot that before...

Leland wrote:

Greg wrote:

The Big Ben wrote: Has anyone here blown a Norwegian Star? The advertising says it's great but I haven't heard about practical experience.

You know, if I had typed this, someone would have most certainly thrown out a snide remark or said something about "duck sausage".

LOL... I don't know why I didn't spot that before...

Uh, I'm in the dark....

Better just leave me here....