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Next week, my director is giving me the difficult decision of choosing which tuba I should play for next year. I will be using this tuba in several ensembles, so it's important that I make the right choice. My two options are a Miraphone 191 with a severely dented bell, and a Miraphone 187 that looks somewhat new. I've played both horns and had my instructor play both as well. The main difference that I have noticed between them so far is the following: the 191 has a more powerful and darker sound, and it's easy to fix anything I might be doing wrong since the bell is a short distance away from me; the 187 has a broader range, but the sound is not as powerful and seems more distant. In my opinion, they are both really good tubas, but unforunately, I will not be able to keep both due to another student coming in next year. I just want to hear some opinions on which of these tubas you prefer, and the reason as to why. Thank you.

I would say go with the 191. I've played on one of those before and I loved the dark resonant sound that came out of the horn. You will need to generate that dark sound that the band/ensemble needs, and I think that the 191 does a phenomenal job of that. As you said, you can hear your sound more with the 191 which means that you can develop your tuning within the band as well. It's a great horn!

191 - hands down

SF

TubaNerd88 wrote:I would say go with the 191. I've played on one of those before and I loved the dark resonant sound that came out of the horn. You will need to generate that dark sound that the band/ensemble needs, and I think that the 191 does a phenomenal job of that. As you said, you can hear your sound more with the 191 which means that you can develop your tuning within the band as well. It's a great horn!

Thanks for the help. Yes, the sound on the 191 is very resonant! Also, I'm not sure, but if I somehow were to convince my director to get the bell fixed, do you think the tuba's range would improve a bit, or are they completely unrelated things? They seem unrelated to me, but I can't be too sure anymore.

Alonsotuba wrote:

TubaNerd88 wrote:I would say go with the 191. I've played on one of those before and I loved the dark resonant sound that came out of the horn. You will need to generate that dark sound that the band/ensemble needs, and I think that the 191 does a phenomenal job of that. As you said, you can hear your sound more with the 191 which means that you can develop your tuning within the band as well. It's a great horn!

Thanks for the help. Yes, the sound on the 191 is very resonant! Also, I'm not sure, but if I somehow were to convince my director to get the bell fixed, do you think the tuba's range would improve a bit, or are they completely unrelated things? They seem unrelated to me, but I can't be too sure anymore.

If you mean range as in terms of projection, it won't change a thing. A slight change in the bell flare due to a dent will hardly change any sound characteristics on a horn of that size.

Just Hands Down

187. I haven't played every single 191 in the world, but those I have played were unfavorable.

Use both back to back with a good (tape) recorder (and/or a very reliable set of ears) a decent distance away. The main thing to try to duplicate is effort of playing. What you will find is that you are generally not at the best place to judge a horns sound while playing it. A lot of horns that feel and sound great from the driver's seat, so to speak, aren't always the best sounding to the audience. Those "tall stack" horns like the Mirafone 18X series are sometimes judged incorrectly from the player's point of view. The sound out front can be much more substantial than what the player thinks it is.

DP wrote: What did your teacher say worked better for you?

After all, your teacher has the benefit of knowing how you play, and sound, AND has the benefit of having heard you play both horns, right?

No one here has a clue what you sound like, whether it is on a hose-o-phone or one of these other two tubas. So, honestly, how can "we" be as helpful to you as your teacher can?

That is a good answer. Your teacher will also be able to advise you about which horn will work well in all of your different playing situations. I would rather have a 187 than a 191 in a quintet. I also wouldn't think that you would absolutely need the bigger 191 unless your ensemble is very large (although bigger and darker is always nice). But, as DP said, your teacher knows best.