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If Bob won't skewer me for hijacking his post, I've been wondering about the front action version of this horn. It's beginning to look as though this might be just the thing for a front action quintet horn for a dyed in the wool BBb tooter.

Bob1062 wrote:

http://www.meinl-weston.com/2011RA.htm" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank
http://www.meinl-weston.com/bbbtubas.htm" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

Finally, a picture and stats!

It appears to have roughly the same bore as the MW18. MW also apparently makes a tiny bore Bb, the 186. Any comments on how the 18 and 2011RA compare?

The HoJo looks 'meatier' in the bell throat. (meaning larger between the bell rim and about where the leadpipe crosses over the bell stack.)

What do they mean by saying "turbo effect which is good for jazz"?

Didn't MW just change the bells on the 18 too?

GideonTubaWarrior wrote:

The Big Ben wrote: What do they mean by saying "turbo effect which is good for jazz"?

it's stuffy

Now THAT"S funny!

I played the top piston HOJO last summer at tubadome.It was a very cool tuba.Not stuffy.I liked it very much.It would probably be an excellent quintet choice for a BBb er.Haven't played the front piston or rotary.Re:bore size-you can't really directly compare rotary to piston bore sizes.The rotary has to be a little larger to get the same effect as the smaller bore piston horn due to the design of the rotary valve and the sharp angles of tubing going in and coming out of the valve.This has been discussed here before by people who actually know what they're talking about(unlike me)...

According to the MW site all 3 of the 2011 horns have the .728 bore. The same bore consistancy can be said for the VMI horns, the 3301 FA included. What I am finding with the VMI is that because the piston block is about as far into the bugle as on a rotary the sound/bore relationship is to me about the same. The VMI has the .748 big valves but doesn't play at all that big. It really plays like a 4/4. I am now looking to clone that horn a bit smaller for quintet playing. That's why the HoJo is interesting.

Bob1062 wrote: I had always thought this was so, but the front action model has a leadpipe that goes down to the main slide first THEN into the 4th valve (so the valves are by far the "farthest")!

That is precisely why I am very curious about the FA. Because of that leadpipe length, it is configured much the same as my VMI 3301. I don't know if that is why I like the 3301 so much but I suspect it is a significant factor. I surmise that the piston horn with the leadpipe farther down the bugle alows it to sound more like a rotary while retaining the facility of the piston. I'm relatively new to all this so an old head might punch holes in my theory. My only complaint with the VMI is that it is a tad big for my use. The one I play was bought by my church to put the bottom on a 35 piece church orchestra, which it does nicely. However, I want a BBb quintet horn to replace my 184. The HoJo may be a canidate.

tbn.al wrote:If Bob won't skewer me for hijacking his post, I've been wondering about the front action version of this horn. It's beginning to look as though this might be just the thing for a front action quintet horn for a dyed in the wool BBb tooter.

I played the front action version when I visited the factory in Germany last year and it played very well indeed - I thought better that the top valve version. I mentioned that to the man showing me around and he said "you are not the first to say that"!

I think it would make an excellent quintet tuba for a BBb player.