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What is everyones opinion on the B&S PT-606P?

Thanks,
Jake

I played one at the army TEC a few years ago and I remember it being very solid. Very good intonation, very open low range but the mid range was really stuffy for me. That could of been my tuba mpc combo or just my playing.

Doug

tuben wrote:I liked it better than the Thor's I have played.

Blasphemy!

I do not like the 606, rotary or piston PT6's, or really any PT tuba except for one PT4 I played (liked it, didn't love it). I also don't like the VMI 3301 and the Neptune though I thought the Neptune was fun and easy to play. I don't like the sound of any of those horns- too tubby and boring. I would also say I dislike PT F tubas, but I don't want to make too many enemies.

I think the 606 has a funny low range, and if you want a York-ish 4/4 the Conn's are much better though I'm not super fond of them either. They've finally gone down in price! For a few years it seemed that new 5xJ's were around 9000 new, but now I see them consistently for around 7500 new.

I also do not like the Thor, and I wanted to like it too!

I agree about the fad-thing for the 606, Thor,.... but I think the 1291 will be popular for a long time and for good reason.

It seems that it's become popular, even stylish, to bash the 1291. I don't know why. It has everything almost everyone needs in a big contrabass tuba- great sound, great intonation, incredible low range, affordable,..... Personally I prefer the 1291 Bb over the C, but both (and the 191 and probably the 291) kick ***.

Bob Kolada wrote:I do not like the 606, rotary or piston PT6's, or really any PT tuba except for one PT4 I played (liked it, didn't love it). I also don't like the VMI 3301 and the Neptune though I thought the Neptune was fun and easy to play. I don't like the sound of any of those horns- too tubby and boring. I would also say I dislike PT F tubas, but I don't want to make too many enemies.

I think the 606 has a funny low range, and if you want a York-ish 4/4 the Conn's are much better though I'm not super fond of them either. They've finally gone down in price! For a few years it seemed that new 5xJ's were around 9000 new, but now I see them consistently for around 7500 new.

I also do not like the Thor, and I wanted to like it too!

I agree about the fad-thing for the 606, Thor,.... but I think the 1291 will be popular for a long time and for good reason.

It seems that it's become popular, even stylish, to bash the 1291. I don't know why. It has everything almost everyone needs in a big contrabass tuba- great sound, great intonation, incredible low range, affordable,..... Personally I prefer the 1291 Bb over the C, but both (and the 191 and probably the 291) kick ***.

Blasphemy!

I only kid. I've never played a PT-606P, so I've got nothing on it. The best thing to do (pretty much for anything you encounter) is to try before you buy. I've also heard (don't quite remember the source) that PT tubas are not entirely consistent...

Joseph

PS-I know it's cliche, but I do like the Thor and the 1291. Just my opinion...

UTSAtuba wrote:

Bob Kolada wrote:stuff...

Blasphemy!

Like I care what you think- you play a DS, and I hate those more than anything.











Eeeeasy now!

I tried a PT-606 in the elephant room at the USABTEC a few years ago. I really liked the way it *played*, but God only knows how it actually sounded. I only remember hearing someone blatting on a cimbasso. I'd have gone back later to try it again, but the price tag was out of my range.

Bob -- I never "got" the 1291 bashing either. Great tuba, but like all tubas, it's not for everyone. Oh well...everybody's got to hate something.

bort wrote:I tried a PT-606 in the elephant room at the USABTEC a few years ago. I really liked the way it *played*, but God only knows how it actually sounded. I only remember hearing someone blatting on a cimbasso. I'd have gone back later to try it again, but the price tag was out of my range.

After that, did you go do some "playing"* to ruin someone else's tuba playing?



*If a bass trombone is a chainsaw, then a cimbasso must be....

bort wrote:Bob -- I never "got" the 1291 bashing either.

Hey, you're alright (for someone who doesn't own a bass tuba!)!

bort wrote:Bob -- I never "got" the 1291 bashing either.

Bob wrote:Hey, you're alright (for someone who doesn't own a bass tuba!)!

Zing! Well, for a little bit longer, at least...

.

Thanks everyone. I also want to know, how does it compare to a Hirsbrunner HB-21?

tubashaman2 wrote:I read in an ITEC Journal---ITEC Cincinnati about how Tucci (I think) and some other designer compared the PT 606P and 20P. I do not know who attended that lecture, but they explained the differences between the horns, and how those differences affected playability (according to the article). Might be worth reading.

What issue is that? I don't remember reading and it sounds interesting!

Bob Kolada wrote:

UTSAtuba wrote:

Bob Kolada wrote:stuff...

Blasphemy!

Like I care what you think- you play a DS, and I hate those more than anything.

Blasphemy!

The PT606-P that I played was a decent horn. It's just that it wasn't great at anything. Ergonomically, it was almost as much of a pain in the butt to hold as a Thor. The high range was ok, but not good enough for extended solo work. It got just a little squirrely up there, kind of like a Miraphone 1291/2. The low range was comparatively better than the high range, but not even in the same zip code as that of a PT6-P or a Miraphone 1291/2. The middle stuff sounded pretty nice, but it all seemed just the slightest bit "fuzzy." It felt like playing a heavier, fatter, slightly better-sounding big brother of a PT-20 (if you are familiar with those).

FWIW, I used a few different mouthpieces in my comparisons: a G&W Bayamo, a G&W Bora, a PT-48, a Conn Helleberg, a PT-36, and a one of the PT heavy walls (I think it was an 88+, but I can't remember for sure). They all varied the sound a little, and the Bora, especially, focused the sound a bit. But overall the 606 still had a much less focused sound than the PT6-P.


Not sure if this helps you at all, but there it is. Good luck!