TubeNet

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I can only advise you to buy the horn you sound best on. I've owned a 186. Loved it, sold it, miss it, have great horns that have replaced it...

You may find a great used horn that you will be happy with too. They cost much less, but both the 186 and 188 are great horns. The learning a new key thing - why/why not is a can of worms everyone has an opinion on. both sides are correct.

Bring a friend or teacher. Bring a tuner. Sit down and play every horn you can get your hands on. This is your money, and it was not easy saving up. Best of luck

The 188 is kinda in between 4/4 and 5/4 in size. Since you are in a good youth orchestra, it makes the 188 more attractive, imo.
Bort will probably chime in sometime.

What's your budget? Are your folks willing to travel with you to try out tubas at one of the major shops? There are many 4/4 CC tubas out there. In addition to the 186 and 188, offerings by B&S & Nirschl immediately come to mind. I play a 186 BBb, and if I were in the market for a CC, the Nirschl & Besson (same design) 4/4 CC piston tubas were on my short list. Your mileage will vary, and except for the quality control of Miraphone where you could purchase a 186 sight unseen and more than likely get a good tuba, everything else needs to be try-before-you-buy.

Major point, and I mean MAJOR: you're young. Your cardiovascular vital capacity has not completely developed yet. The CC horn you get now may or may not be the same horn you'll be playing when you get to be an upper classman in college. So whatever you do, get a good used horn of a brand that has an established good reputation and a good resale record, so that if it turns out to be the horn you prefer, it will last you as long as it needs to, but if you get to a point you want to sell it for something else, you can get your money out of it.

You do seem to be a good candidate for a good used newer 186 CC (17 3/4 inch bell) at this point, but steer the middle ground between, "This is THE tuba," and "I just can't decide." If your band director won't help, emphasize to your folks the reality that a few bucks spent with a regional university low brass professor could help save thousands of $$ of a purchase mistake in the long run.

tooba wrote:Bort will probably chime in sometime.

Am I that predictable?

To the original poster, I am highly biased towards the Miraphone 188. For ME, it is the perfect match and this tuba is the "voice" I hear in my head. Not everyone responds the same way to every tuba, so you will need to try them out for yourself.

The 188 is known for its freakishly good intonation (point and shoot!), even response, and true German rotary tuba sound. If you blow too hard in the low register, it'll feel "stuffy" (hate that word). If you play with a controlled air stream, the low register rocks!

The 186 is a little smaller than the 188 (smaller bell and bows, but identical valve section). It also has great intonation, response, and that classic German sound. The 186 can "bark" a bit more easily than the 188, but with the right control it's quite controllable and can still sound plenty big. Every 186 I've tried has been really easy to play, and almost like a toy (in a good way).

Both are good tubas, but to me, the 188 is awesome. If you have any questions about the 188, PM me and I'd be happy to share.

I'll chime in while you are getting your parents' W-2's in order.

After playing on a few of each in the last year or so, I still think the 188 blows a little bit better than the 186. I can't differentiate much in terms of the way they sound. While I perfer the Bruckner hands down, both are very playable instruments with solid intonation.

Either one, not to mention many other models in various keys, will be fine tubas for you to play and enjoy. Good luck in your search. Just relax and have fun trying out tubas.

(Attn all students who are horn shopping:) Don't get caught up in the usual tuba size-race.

A 188 IS a great choice if your main situation is in the rear of a large ensemble (I have considered buying one numerous times myself). However, there is a lot more music in the world to be played on the tuba that requires more control of your tone and "size". Go with a 186, it's probably the most versatile tuba ever made.

Joe "owns neither an F or a BAT" Exley

Another thing that you could consider is looking at other brands like a meinl weston bill bell model or maybe even a used perantucci horn but that's just my $.02 on the topic.

Hi-
Check with your current teacher, or if you plan to go into music, possible future teachers at some colleges of your choice, on what equipment they recommend.

You can get a 'clone' or a copy of a Miraphone 186/8 made in the Far East that is even more than equal to a new 186--both in playing ability and in craftsmanship, IMHO- for much less than the German made version. I would check the 'Sponsor' section of Tubenet and do some price shopping FWIW.

Best of luck!

mark

Do you own what you're playing now?

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That's what happens when you pay cheap you get cheap.

Good lord. This young person asked for help. He or she already has a teacher, so the TNFJ can't go down that rabbit trail, so we turn it into yet another quarrel about the hobby horses (and there are many, and I certainly have mine) of frequent posters. Couldn't we just offer whatever we've got that could actually be helpful?

If you are going to be doing mostly (80%+) large group playing, go for the 88. If you are going to be doing more solo & ensemble playing, go for the 86. Remember, it is easier to lighten up on a BIG horn, than it is to get more sound out of a smaller one.

bloke wrote:

talleyrand wrote:Good lord. This young person asked for help. He or she already has a teacher, so the TNFJ can't go down that rabbit trail, so we turn it into yet another quarrel about the hobby horses (and there are many, and I certainly have mine) of frequent posters. Couldn't we just offer whatever we've got that could actually be helpful?

I'm sixteen, enjoy ride horses, and probably will continue (maybe with a scholarship) at least into my first couple of years of college. I have access to a really good horse, but my riding teacher suggests that - since I have access to the money right now - I purchase either a one-year-old filly or a two-year-old colt thoroughbred. Both are younger siblings of last year's Kentucky Derby winner. Which one should I buy?

bloke "who should always only answer the question which is asked, particularly since the young inquirer is asking this question of perfect strangers in a public forum IN SPITE OF THE FACT that they have a teacher"

I'm just going to quote this and leave it here.

jmg71196 wrote:I've finally raised enough money to buy a brand new CC tuba. I'm a junior in high school and have been playing since 6th grade. I am an all state player and play in a good youth orchestra in my area. I have been playing on a BB♭ Miraphone 186S-4U. My teacher thinks that I should look into getting a CC tuba. I enjoy playing on my BB♭ horn, so i think i might like either the Miraphone 188-5U or the CC Miraphone 186S-5U. If you have an opinion on either of these horns or how similarly they play please tell me, or if you are familiar with other horns that are similar to these i would like to know.

Sorry, Tubenet really isn't worth it for stuff like this. Too many artistic personalities to be any use to people in situations like yours.

Anyway, both the 186 and 188 are great tubas. Buy used, play the snot out of it and have fun!

Okay, Joe, I appreciate that. We have indeed done business and what is more I have learned much from you and have a lot of respect for you.

And I also think there are at least two different kinds of people who show up on Tubenet. You and I and a lot of other people can agree and disagree about many things and bust each others' chops and not hate, and it's all good in the end.

And then there are the young people and the older beginners who show up with a handful of posts and want a little help. And they end up reading all these posts where we are going at it hammer and tongs about BS their post reminds us of, not knowing how to interpret it, and at least some of them think their question is at stake in it, because it's in the thread they started. I'd like for us to just help these people as straightforwardly as possible without giving them all our issues to sort out at the same time.

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Hi!
I wish I had the means to buy my own Tuba while a music student! (Un) fortunately all my money went into a college education, and then a family...I've had my own Tuba for over a dozen years now, and even though my day job has nothing to do with music, I enjoy playing several times a week, and still get paid for it every once in a while...A Miraphone, Kanstul or other "established" make will probably never drop below a certain price level, especially if you take care of it. My clones have a yet to be determined life span, no matter what I or others think of them. Mr Simonetti's St.Petes turned out to be alright, but only after 10+ years of scrutiny and improvements, and the nickel finish is vulnerable to sweat, especially if your PH is funky. The 188 would be my weapon of choice over a 186 due to the larger branches and Bell flair, allowing more sound without breaking up, while still allowing a high level of dexterity. The flip side is that you could easily find a suitable used 186 or similar Tuba compared to a 188 due to numbers produced, thus avoiding the significant depreciation of a new, name brand Tuba. 186's are great all around axes, and the list of great players who own(ed) them is a long one! As several posters mentioned, used is not a bad way to go, allowing you to save for a future Trade or Bass Tuba purchase. I have a Nice Cerveney 686 listed on this site, and I'm sure several of the other sponsors have suitable alternatives as well...If you end up a non-major, or go into Education, or maybe earn a scholarship in exchange for playing in several groups, you will have saved over 50% and still have a nice axe to play...

Happy hunting,
Al