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They were here at my home for a one week try out - the piston and the rotor HoJo MW 2011 Bb tuba. After 8 years of learning tuba with an old Weltklang, the decision was taken to go for something new. As my main inspiration and musical activity is jazz, the Hojo seemed just the right thing, and I wanted to try out the front action and the rotor valve model. The dealer (FMB, in Gütersloh, Germany) is just an 1,5 hour ride from my home, and they agreed to take both horns home for one week.
I played a lot in that week, and made some recordings with minidisk. But my impression from the first day on was: the piston front action model is it.
Both are very similar, and in fact the 2 loops after the valve section and the bell are absolutely identical.
To make it short, I found the piston model better sounding and responding. It gives the more direct playing feel. Somehow it felt like the real thing. The low and high register is about the same on both models. Response is a bit different, but difficult to describe. Although I played on a rotor instrument for years, I liked the piston model more. Surprising, it has a smaller bore, but sounds a bit rounder and darker. I played the G&W Diablo on both instruments, and did not try out outher mouthpieces, because that would have confused everything.
So I am a happy owner of a front action HoJo now!

tubajazzo wrote:So I am a happy owner of a front action HoJo now!

Congrats :!:That's a good lookin' horn.

The piston instrument may have a smaller bore, but it also has a shorter leadpipe, which may or may not have a little bit quicker taper. This most likely gives the piston block an effectively slightly larger bore, which most likely accounts for your impressions of a tad quicker response.

It is always good to be able to A/B compare instruments before purchase. You are lucky you have a dealer that let you do that. Congrats on your acquisition!

iiipopes wrote:The piston instrument may have a smaller bore, but it also has a shorter leadpipe...

The leadpipe doesn't look shorter on the piston model. In fact, it looks pretty long...very similar to the Kalison DS model leadpipe.

Joseph

I have not tried a rotary HoJo, but was very impressed by the front piston version I tried (more than the top piston) - Congratulations, enjoy!

Please see all my impressions as that of an amateur. I am not very experienced in tuba testing.
The leadpipe is long on the piston model (goes down to the tuning slide first and enters valve section from valve 4) and shorter on the rotor. So the piston valve set is not "earlier" in the taper.
The instrument is very mouthpiece sensitive, with a bigger mouthpiece you get a fuller sound, with a smaller or shallower mp (i have the PT-65) it has something like a clear Eb or F-Tuba sound and goes up very high. I use the Diablo on it, which is medium-sized. In our orchestra (kind of symphonic wind school orchestra) I play together with a Fafner, an the two make a perfect set.
First impressions in duo setting, jam session, orchestra: fantastic playing in all situations. Big dynamic range. With the diablo it is possible to play really loud on that horn, and it doesn't feel small at all. Ok the low register doesn't sound like on a fafner. But it is there, down to the pedals, everything sounding round and focussed. Man am I thrilled...

Then I take my statement back. Most of the models of tubas that have both rotor and piston models take the leadpipe directly into the block without the loop as this model does.

Happy new horn!! How cool to be able to do a side-by-side comparison like that.