Schillaphone 186
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 1:31 am
Looking for a horn suitable for quintet and the occasional solo, but still with enough guts to be able to punch through an orchestra, I decided to take a chance on the new but highly regarded Schiller CC tuba. The horn is basically a copy of the newer generation Miraphone 186-5U CC with thicker brass and no bell garland. Despite some of the previous attempts coming out of China meeting with mixed reviews, I have yet to read anything significantly negative about their 5 valve CC.
I went through the horn top to bottom, and the tuning is as good as or better than any Miraphone 186 I have tried. From pedal C to G above the staff, I checked every note. Fifth partial is a little low as on the 186 and most horns. I push in on D or use 4, Eb is 23 and E is 12. 1st slide works OK, I will probably use a thinner grease on it. Once it breaks in it should be fine; the tubes are perfectly aligned. Worst case, I may have to lap it slightly but it should be fine after break-in. If I wanted to lip a little, I could probably play the E open. Everything else is by-the-book fingerings. I am slightly disappointed that the 4th valve slide is only half as long as the outer tubes would lead you to believe - you can only pull about 3-4 inches instead of 6 to 8. However, that is not a big issue on a 5 valve CC (It would be on a 4 valve horn.)
Ergonomics are as good as the horn it was modeled after. The first thing I did was remove the thumb ring; I don't miss it a bit. 1st, 4th, and 5th slides are extremely accessible, 3rd is just a little harder to get to but still very available. The 5th valve loop has dual slides so you can set it in back and fine tune on top in the low register. The leadpipe seems a little lower than I remember on a 186; this is good for students or for guys like me (5'7").
The horn appears to be solidly built of thick brass. If feels heavier than a 186; much heavier than the older vintage 186 horns. The valves work very well, although the external linkage is not quite as robust as the horn it is patterned after. Spring tension is high; I like that but others may want them adjusted to a lighter touch. I spot checked the alignment on one of the valves and it appeared good in both up and down positions.
The sound is outstanding with both large and small mouthpieces, giving this horn the flexibility to be a band, orchestra, quintet, or solo instrument. With the heavy gauge brass, the sound is in some ways even better than the Miraphone it is modeled after; it holds together very well at high volumes. I played some of the Vaughan Williams, Gregson, and John Williams on it today using a Bobo Solo mouthpiece and would feel comfortable playing any of them on this tuba if I did not have an F. I also played some excerpts including Wagner and Tchaikovsky. With the massive Warburton-Neilan mouthpiece and the heavy construction, the horn is not prone to excessive "barking" that some Miraphones are known for. The low register just pops out on this horn and is surprisingly meaty. Although it does not have the "girth" of a 6/4, the horn definitely has enough volume potential to be used anywhere while still maintaining a characteristic tuba sound.
The good:
Thick wall construction
Solid sound
Outstanding intonation
Great low register
Very versatile horn
The price!!!!
Needs improvement:
4th valve slide should be full length
Valve linkages
Rear valve caps do not have the adjustment screws the Miraphone caps have
Factory slide grease is too thick
Lacquer seems thin in some spots
Case does not appear designed for heavy duty use
I will definitely be keeping this tuba and playing it professionally. I plan on using it at a wedding this weekend and a brass quintet performance in early November. I may even use it on an orchestra gig in two weeks.
I went through the horn top to bottom, and the tuning is as good as or better than any Miraphone 186 I have tried. From pedal C to G above the staff, I checked every note. Fifth partial is a little low as on the 186 and most horns. I push in on D or use 4, Eb is 23 and E is 12. 1st slide works OK, I will probably use a thinner grease on it. Once it breaks in it should be fine; the tubes are perfectly aligned. Worst case, I may have to lap it slightly but it should be fine after break-in. If I wanted to lip a little, I could probably play the E open. Everything else is by-the-book fingerings. I am slightly disappointed that the 4th valve slide is only half as long as the outer tubes would lead you to believe - you can only pull about 3-4 inches instead of 6 to 8. However, that is not a big issue on a 5 valve CC (It would be on a 4 valve horn.)
Ergonomics are as good as the horn it was modeled after. The first thing I did was remove the thumb ring; I don't miss it a bit. 1st, 4th, and 5th slides are extremely accessible, 3rd is just a little harder to get to but still very available. The 5th valve loop has dual slides so you can set it in back and fine tune on top in the low register. The leadpipe seems a little lower than I remember on a 186; this is good for students or for guys like me (5'7").
The horn appears to be solidly built of thick brass. If feels heavier than a 186; much heavier than the older vintage 186 horns. The valves work very well, although the external linkage is not quite as robust as the horn it is patterned after. Spring tension is high; I like that but others may want them adjusted to a lighter touch. I spot checked the alignment on one of the valves and it appeared good in both up and down positions.
The sound is outstanding with both large and small mouthpieces, giving this horn the flexibility to be a band, orchestra, quintet, or solo instrument. With the heavy gauge brass, the sound is in some ways even better than the Miraphone it is modeled after; it holds together very well at high volumes. I played some of the Vaughan Williams, Gregson, and John Williams on it today using a Bobo Solo mouthpiece and would feel comfortable playing any of them on this tuba if I did not have an F. I also played some excerpts including Wagner and Tchaikovsky. With the massive Warburton-Neilan mouthpiece and the heavy construction, the horn is not prone to excessive "barking" that some Miraphones are known for. The low register just pops out on this horn and is surprisingly meaty. Although it does not have the "girth" of a 6/4, the horn definitely has enough volume potential to be used anywhere while still maintaining a characteristic tuba sound.
The good:
Thick wall construction
Solid sound
Outstanding intonation
Great low register
Very versatile horn
The price!!!!
Needs improvement:
4th valve slide should be full length
Valve linkages
Rear valve caps do not have the adjustment screws the Miraphone caps have
Factory slide grease is too thick
Lacquer seems thin in some spots
Case does not appear designed for heavy duty use
I will definitely be keeping this tuba and playing it professionally. I plan on using it at a wedding this weekend and a brass quintet performance in early November. I may even use it on an orchestra gig in two weeks.