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I would have to give a strong nod to whatever Dave says. He's a stand-up guy in every way.

I don't know the JZ tubas... don't even know where they are made. But I'd trust Dave.

It is true, however, that you get what you pay for and that's especially true in musical instruments. There are just very few bargains.

I do believe that if you buy a good instrument (car or television), years from now you won't care what it cost. If the instrument gives you problems at the beginning, you won't keep it very long and will always wish you hadn't spent the money. So, make sure the JZ likes what you blow into it before you buy it.

Alex C wrote:I would have to give a strong nod to whatever Dave says. He's a stand-up guy in every way.

I don't know the JZ tubas... don't even know where they are made. But I'd trust Dave.

It is true, however, that you get what you pay for and that's especially true in musical instruments. There are just very few bargains.

I do believe that if you buy a good instrument (car or television), years from now you won't care what it cost. If the instrument gives you problems at the beginning, you won't keep it very long and will always wish you hadn't spent the money. So, make sure the JZ likes what you blow into it before you buy it.

Now.... THAT's some solid advice.

TubaTinker wrote: Now.... THAT's some solid advice.

Thank you, sir. I am humbled to be recognized in that way.

Countless times on this board, players have talked about what a great guy Dave is. He has a big reputation as an honest and reliable gentleman. I have purchased two trumpets and a tuba from Dave. He sent them out for trial and didn't bill me until he got reassurance I was satisfied. On this planet, there are few sellers as trustworthy as Dave Fedderly. If he says the JZ tuba is OK, I suspect you can count on it to be just that.

Ace

Does anyone have a picture of this JZ 5v CC tuba? or can someone tell me what horn it may resemble?

miketank09 wrote:Does anyone have a picture of this JZ 5v CC tuba? or can someone tell me what horn it may resemble?

The blurb on the Baltimore Brass tuba listings page says it's similar to a Miraphone 188.

iiipopes wrote:

miketank09 wrote:Does anyone have a picture of this JZ 5v CC tuba? or can someone tell me what horn it may resemble?

The blurb on the Baltimore Brass tuba listings page says it's similar to a Miraphone 188.

I'll bet (just a guess) that it's the Schiller horn with JZ stamped on it.

I played one of the JZ CC tubas at Baltimore Brass a few weeks ago. I tested it with a Bach 18. It played in tune (for me), had a good solid sound with core and was consistant from the low to the high range. In my opinion it did play very much like a Miraphone 188. I liked the tuba, try one and see what you think. And yes, I think very highly of Dave and Baltimore Brass.

best,
Mark

A friend recently purchased a JZ compensation euphonium from Baltimore Brass. I had a change to examine it yesterday. Pristine silver plate, Solid(like a tank) build, I did not have the chance to play it yet but I will later this week.

pierso20 wrote:

iiipopes wrote:

miketank09 wrote:Does anyone have a picture of this JZ 5v CC tuba? or can someone tell me what horn it may resemble?

The blurb on the Baltimore Brass tuba listings page says it's similar to a Miraphone 188.

I'll bet (just a guess) that it's the Schiller horn with JZ stamped on it.

It's definitely not a spiller horn with JZ stamped on it. JZ is Dave's brand and Schiller is the other guys brand.

iiipopes wrote:

miketank09 wrote:Does anyone have a picture of this JZ 5v CC tuba? or can someone tell me what horn it may resemble?

The blurb on the Baltimore Brass tuba listings page says it's similar to a Miraphone 188.

It's actually a copy of the Miraphone 186 and a great copy at that.

As far as Dave goes, he is a great guy and you can trust his word as he won't steer you wrong and will absolutely take care of you.

As to getting opinions for other pros and teachers, Dave is a pro and a teacher so why go anywhere else?

I love Dave!!!!

I was down at BB just over a week ago...

...and first of all, I have to say that both Dave *and* his staff are completely TOP NOTCH. Fantastic.
I made them crazy by honking on probably 50 different tubas over the course of an entire afternoon... The JZ M186 Clone was one of them:

I know the traditional Miraphone 186 intimately well... these are my thoughts:

The JW (186 clone) played *remarkably* well. In fact, being totally honest (and Miraphone fan) I actually preferred the playing of the JZ to the modern Miraphone 86 (new version of the 186) ...and for a specific reason:

My chief complaint of the newer actual Miraphone (1)86 is that it is made out of heavier/thicker metal than the older vintage ones (like mine) and it has a heavier sound.

The JZ was made of a thinner (cheaper?) metal which gave it a character a bit more akin to the vintage 186. It was smooth and even, and had a nice *spark* to it.

That all said, while the JZ was a very good player, it did *not* have the pristine Bavarian handmade attention to detail that the actual Miraphone does...which costs 3x as much.

I'd totally consider the JW. But as said in the thread before, you do get what you pay for. The JZ is a very good budget-line horn. The Miraphone is a high-end horn hand-made in the mountains, forged of locally sourced materials by dudes with beards at benches listening to Blaßmusik as they hammer away.

But more so, if I was in the market for another 4/4 CC, I'd probably split the difference and actually buy the used horn that was sitting just a few horns to the right of the JZ: Pilafian's actual Bill Bell model vintage Meinl Weston (his Empire Brass horn) is for sale there at BB. THAT horn was *absolutely* fantastic.

Again, HUGE props to Dave and his staff! What a special place.

^ tubajoe was prolly talking about overall fit & finish. Vintage Mirafones were handmade, but the modern ones are no more "handmade" than Meinl-Weston/B&S, Yamaha, Jupiter, etc.

Interestingly, I have an old, probably-1970's YBB 201 "student/practice" tuba that is very clearly handmade. The bell, all bows, and even the slide tubes were hand-hammered of sheet-brass. You can look down the bell and see the seam in the bottom bow, and see hammer-mark 'ripples' throughout the tuba where dent work was done. Yes, even vintage Yamahas were handmade!

goodgigs wrote:

tubajoe wrote:the pristine Bavarian handmade attention to detail

Joe, I'm not happy when anybody talks like this, especially somebody as brilliant as you.
What exactly do you mean ?

Uh oh, did I accidentally step in something?

I was comparing Miraphone to other exceptional Bavarian products such as:

A car by Bayerische Motoren Werke
or a
A perfectly balanced reinheitsgebot beer.

Meaning to say one horn is an expensive artisanal high end horn, the other is a very reasonably priced, well playing budget facsimile.

toobagrowl wrote:^ tubajoe was prolly talking about overall fit & finish. Vintage Mirafones were handmade, but the modern ones are no more "handmade" than Meinl-Weston/B&S, Yamaha, Jupiter, etc.

Interestingly, I have an old, probably-1970's YBB 201 "student/practice" tuba that is very clearly handmade. The bell, all bows, and even the slide tubes were hand-hammered of sheet-brass. You can look down the bell and see the seam in the bottom bow, and see hammer-mark 'ripples' throughout the tuba where dent work was done. Yes, even vintage Yamahas were handmade!

The new ones are indeed handmade. Every part of them... valves are machined in house - have seen it with my own eyes. Not only are they handmade, the company is employee-owned.

Some other brands are too... the $40k Yamayorks are handmade too, I believe.

Anyway, hope you guys got my point. Sorry for any confusion.

The JZ is a solid and better than expected alternative, but is apples to oranges to the real McCoy.