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Would a Conn Giant Eb tuba that's in good condition be an O.K. starter Eb? I like them a lot because they supposedly have a much larger sound than a regular Eb.

If you can find one with tight valves and that plays well in tune with itself, absolutely. If not, it'll be a constant struggle. Just like with most horns.

I switched to monster Conn Eb's a couple of years ago, and I'm happy with the change. Just be warned that there'll be pieces that do not sit well on Eb and are easier on a contrabass no matter how big and contrabass-like the Eb might be.

Many "Giant" Eb tubas have a really wide throat taper and bell flare compared to the overall bore and bugle size. This can cause intonation problems. Moreover, especially if 4-valve, the extra metal needed for the extra girth will increase the weight of the tuba to approaching a 4/4 contrabass.

If you want an inexpensive bass tuba, I think you can get a lot more for your money if you steer clear of the giants and monsters. I believe (bear in mind I do not intend to present this as a fact) they're primarily designed to support a band as a one-tuba section - like a hybrid contrabass/bass. Your contrabass tuba will serve just as well for that, or better, so you don't need to accept the design compromises inherent in a giant bass.

I like my Pan American Eb Giant Bass all right (Conn with a cheaper label), but as suggested above, it isn't a bass tuba in the strictest sense for me.

Wow, an early American model that I don't know the details on...what are the differences between the Conn Giant and the Monster models? I thought they were the same.

Thanks,
Frank

It's a good Eb to start on if you want to be confounded by it's intonation and low register response. If you're not already an Eb player I say stick to the small ones.

Frank Ortega wrote:Wow, an early American model that I don't know the details on...what are the differences between the Conn Giant and the Monster models? I thought they were the same.

I'm sure someone would be happy to say more about his or her tuba, but it isn't obvious (to me anyway) what tuba you're asking about?

I thought it was King, York, Holton et al. with the Monsters, against Conn with the Giants. Who loves a Height-Weight-Proportional?

Some of the Conns were referred to as monsters in the catalogs.

And to add to some of the comments in previous posts: there's a lot to be said for going for smaller Eb's if you are wanting to make a break with contrabass playing. However, if you want a big Eb that can function almost like a contrabass, the old monster Eb's are the way to go (unless you can afford a Willson Eb; expensive, but a big enough sound to sub for a contrabass in a lot of situations).

Even so, if you're playing in a concert band or orchestra and are playing a piece that spends a lot of time below Bb below the staff, you probably need a BBb or CC. You might be able to handle the part on Eb, but its sonority may just not be up to the needs of the piece in that register.

bump, for various reasons