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I agree with Bloke 100%... being an Eb player, I would choose the Miraphone's to be most "F" like for primarily solo work. All the ones I've played are super easy to play, and the low range advantage of an Eb. If I had endless $$, I would pick up one of the Miraphone Eb's for solo use and some quintet. I personally prefer a bigger, thicker sound for Eb as I do a lot of quintet stuff... which gives me the advantage of an Eb, but more like a small CC tuba in sound.

I have played the new Wilson compact Eb two times now (ITEC and Midwest), and really enjoy playing it. I like the MW 2141 I play now, but I have to work pretty hard to lighten/brighten that thing up for different styles (mouthpiece choice helps out a lot with that too). Depending on how you blow it, it can produce a sound not much different than a normal 4/4 CC tuba.

My $.2

To pair up with a 52J I would go pretty small with the Eb. Not the 2141, not a 981-type horn, and maybe not even a 983. Try the Miraphone Star Light if you can.

I have a Willson BIG Eb. Its metal is very thick and weighs a TON.

Its chief advantage is its ability to go from very light to heavy.

There are two Eb's that I really love. NOT being a BIG Eb player, my exposure is limited. BUT... if I were to buy one I'd look first at the Kanstul 4 top action horn, then the Yamaha YEP-321s. Hornguys has both of these: http://www.hornguys.com" target="_blank

Another horn that is slightly (just barely) smaller than the 981 and plays really well is the Miraphone Ambassador 7000 and 7050 compensating Eb's. They're your basic 981 clone, but have the typical Miraphone consistency and workmanship. I've played two, and they're very impressive instruments. If I had the bread for a new Eb, I'd either get the Kanstul front action or the Miraphone compensator.

The new Kanstul Eb tubas are larger horns -- with a bell diameter bigger than your 52J. So I would not recommend these for a solo/duet horn -- you already have a tuba with this sort of sound.

Tony's recommendation of the YEB-321 is a good one. If you are patient, you might find a YEB-381, which is identical to the 321, with the addition of a dependent 5th valve (rotor) in the 4th valve tubing, giving a bit more low register capability. But depending on your choice of music, you may not need this.

The Miraphone Eb tubas are another good choice for "something completely different" from your Conn.

For something very small, Besson makes a 3/4 size Eb (used to be called a model 777), which has about a .650 bore and a 12 inch bell. But only 3V and non-compensating. But you could play down to the A natural below the staff, and the sound is sort of like a euph on steroids. Not very tuba-like, but it might be interesting for solo/duet use. The 1+3 intonation quirks would be annoying (from experience).

Regards,

Steve Inman

I should have stuck on topic; I wasn't intending to recommend the Kanstul Eb as a solo horn, just a personal choice. The Miraphones would be good choices for a solo horn.

Steve Inman wrote:For something very small, Besson makes a 3/4 size Eb (used to be called a model 777), which has about a .650 bore and a 12 inch bell. But only 3V and non-compensating. But you could play down to the A natural below the staff, and the sound is sort of like a euph on steroids. Not very tuba-like, but it might be interesting for solo/duet use. The 1+3 intonation quirks would be annoying (from experience).

Such a horn might be fun for playing trombone quartets on 3 euphoniums and a tuba!

All my 3 valve horns have been fine on 13 with 3 tuned so that 23 is in tune. So, assuming a good set of partials, 123 is the only combination that really needs a pull.
Something that will help either way is a third valve kicker. I'd love to get one on my 3 valve euph; maybe I can find someone with a 2280 who took theirs off...