South Central ITEC reviews
Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 8:18 pm
Hi all,
In terms of reviews, I'm reviewing the horns I played and equipment. The regional itself was OUTSTANDING and Dr. Eshelman did a terrific job. The two exhibitors were Brook Mays and Meinl Weston. Brook Mays only brought Bb tubas and Euphs so I stayed over at the Meinl booth. They had a good selection including a used 45slp, Tuono, Hojo and the 2250 piston F and the new Bloke pieces. I was lucky enough to get in early so I was the only one playing with a tuner. I pretty much wtuck to the 2250 and Tuono.
-2250
I liked this horn but back to back with my Petrouchka it didn't really compare. The intonation was good with minimal slide pulling (according to my tuner) and the sound was nice but the lower range didn't want to slot even when trying different mpcs. Other than that it played pretty well.
-Tuono
I'm just going to put this out there, if you HAVEN'T tried this horn you REALLY NEED TO. The overall build is excellent as is to be expected with this brand. The intonation is spot on. I literally tuned and set the slides and never had to touch them. The second space E was a little flat but played right in tune using 1-2. The low range is very nice. It was easy to fill up the room using minimal effort and the sound was very broad and resonant but still retained some core to the sound. Mid to high range is buttery smooth and everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) slotted easily. The valves are quick and silent and slurring between partials was simple.
-Bloke pieces
Hats off to Bloke/Joe for a finely crafted MPC. I only tried 'F' mpc's since I'm happy with my CC mpc. The one that I tried had a beer mug on the side if that's any indicator as to which one. It made playing my F that much easier. Once I get the funds together I'll be getting one.
On a side note, the reps from MW showed the Tuono to me as the rotary Thor despite having 'Tuono' stamped on the bell. In all honesty, I'd describe it as the Thor but better and this is coming from someone who has had his sights set on the Thor for a few years now. This WILL be my new horn.
-CT
In terms of reviews, I'm reviewing the horns I played and equipment. The regional itself was OUTSTANDING and Dr. Eshelman did a terrific job. The two exhibitors were Brook Mays and Meinl Weston. Brook Mays only brought Bb tubas and Euphs so I stayed over at the Meinl booth. They had a good selection including a used 45slp, Tuono, Hojo and the 2250 piston F and the new Bloke pieces. I was lucky enough to get in early so I was the only one playing with a tuner. I pretty much wtuck to the 2250 and Tuono.
-2250
I liked this horn but back to back with my Petrouchka it didn't really compare. The intonation was good with minimal slide pulling (according to my tuner) and the sound was nice but the lower range didn't want to slot even when trying different mpcs. Other than that it played pretty well.
-Tuono
I'm just going to put this out there, if you HAVEN'T tried this horn you REALLY NEED TO. The overall build is excellent as is to be expected with this brand. The intonation is spot on. I literally tuned and set the slides and never had to touch them. The second space E was a little flat but played right in tune using 1-2. The low range is very nice. It was easy to fill up the room using minimal effort and the sound was very broad and resonant but still retained some core to the sound. Mid to high range is buttery smooth and everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) slotted easily. The valves are quick and silent and slurring between partials was simple.
-Bloke pieces
Hats off to Bloke/Joe for a finely crafted MPC. I only tried 'F' mpc's since I'm happy with my CC mpc. The one that I tried had a beer mug on the side if that's any indicator as to which one. It made playing my F that much easier. Once I get the funds together I'll be getting one.
On a side note, the reps from MW showed the Tuono to me as the rotary Thor despite having 'Tuono' stamped on the bell. In all honesty, I'd describe it as the Thor but better and this is coming from someone who has had his sights set on the Thor for a few years now. This WILL be my new horn.
-CT