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Is the Mirafone/Miraphone 186 4v BBb considered a professional model tuba?

Yes.

yes, unless I m playing it !!! Hope you are well- js

The Mirafone/Miraphone 186 has always been regarded as a professional-level tuba. However... in order to capture a bit more of the market... some all-brass versions (no nickel silver outer slides, rotor caps, bell garland) are being sold as 'student' models.

Judging from what I've seen... the quality is the same.

Hmmmm....., so I guess I can't blame it on the horn....

I have always found the "professional" vs. "student" designation interesting and a bit confusing. For example, I play a King 1241. Over the years I have played alongside numerous 186s, played by fine amateur tubists. My 1241 has always easily held its own in sound quality, sound quantity, intonation, articulation and range. Yet, in many circles the 186 in considered a "professional" tuba, and the 1241 a "student" tuba. Just not sure what criteria, if any, are being used in these designations. Can anyone enlighten me?

A professional tuba is one played by a professional, while a student tuba is one played by a student.

While this is somewhat facetious, there is probably some truth to it. In the US any BBb tuba is considered by some to be a student tuba, even if the same model is used in professional orchestras in Europe. I have seen the difference based on the number of valves, although 3 valve tubas have been used by professionals in the past, bore size, bell diameter, and total tuba size. None of these are really definitive. There are some tubas that would be considered student models by most people, like a King 1140, or Yamaha 201, but in general it seems to be somewhat like the X/4 designation used to describe tubas. Which category a particular horn fits into depends on whose making the decision.

Lew wrote:.....There are some tubas that would be considered student models by most people, like a King 1140....

The REALLY big joke is.... the Conn-Selmer website for repairmen lists the King 1140 tuba as a 'professional' horn.

Yes, the 186 is a "professional" horn. Which is to say that a lot of us have made a lot of money playing them. Many of us are not professional musicians, and it seems that those who are have different preferences, (CC this and F that,) but for the most part, if you play BBb and want one horn that will do everything you need a tuba to do, and do it well, this is the one. It is simply the standard of the industry. I played all the demo's for our quint on mine. You can hear them at http://www.iciclebrass.org" target="_blank.
Chris.

Hmm . . . I've always thought that a professional musician is someone who makes the majority of his/her living with music, and a semi-professional is someone who makes less than half yet still a significant amount of his/her living. An amateur is then someone who may or may not make any money off music, but the money is not really significant. What am I forgetting or misrepresenting, if anything?

As for the 186, they're professional quality instruments, but how many true pros use them in their profession with regularity? Most of the top-level pros seem to have gone in other directions.