TubeNet

I've been playing a Cerveny Piggy since I bought it used in 1986, although with a bunch of years off. In general I'm fairly fond of it. I'd like to get something better if I can do so affordably and I would really like something with a 5th valve. I'd like something with a warmer sound and also something with a bigger more solid low end, although the Piggy does remarkably well in this regard considering its size.

I play in a community band, a British brass band and a small orchestra. I'd prefer to not spend more than about $4000 for something used, but for something really nice and a good deal I could probably go a bit higher. I've been playing on rotors for so long that most piston horns I've tried have felt awkward.

This is what I have been considering recently:

PT4- This will give me the 5th valve and better intonation, but I am not sure otherwise how significantly different it would be from the Piggy. I played one at TBA and liked the feel of it. I liked it a bit better than the PT-20, but subtleties are hard to tell in a convention hall.

PT6- This is probably more tuba than I need and more than I want to spend, but it would definitely give me something significantly different from my Piggy.

JinBao 186 clone- Cheap and gets me a 5th valve, but I think I would still prefer my Piggy.

Bigger Cervenys- I would still have to contend with soft metal, which is one thing I don't like about the Piggy. Not sure I'd like having a left hand 5th valve. Not sure how often they show up used. I know there are a couple or so listed on TubeNet right now.

Mienl Weston 2155- It is a piston horn, but I recently tried a MW F piston horn and felt reasonably good about it. There's one listed now, but a bit more than I want to spend. I'd probably be open to other MW horns, but I don't really know their line very well and I have only played that one F horn.

Any comments on the above or anything else I should be looking at?

thanks much

mike

Have you listened to another player on your Piggy? From about 50 feet away?
If not, do so, and see if you still want a "bigger" axe. You may be pleasantly surprised at how full and warm the Piggy sounds to your audience...

Al

It is easy to get something different--that just involves paying someone for another horn. However, an "upgrade" is another matter.
Piggys are warm sounding horns. Possibly, the thinner brass, or the exact alloy, influences that. In the right hands, they will also play pretty loud. It is hard to get a "massive" feel (think Holton 345 or MW 2165) but that is not often required, and sometimes not appropriate, for example, in a quintet. When I have had only one horn, it has always been my Piggy. To each his own. I have had a lot of other horns, including an Alex, a Hirsbrunner, and a 2165. I loved them all, but I never thought of them as "upgrades." And, I still have the Piggy.

Quite apart from the qualities of a good Piggy, I think you'll have a hard time finding any decent C tuba with five valves for your budget. Four valves, yes, you could probably find a Miraphone 188 or a Rudy Meinl 4/4 or something of that type. But with five valves, you'll have to live with a pretty beat-up horn to get it in that price range. I paid more than that for my last two Bb tubas, and they only have four valves. And they were both quite deeply experienced when I bought them, too.

Rick "suggesting a couple of years of attending tuba conferences and trying out instruments in the exhibition room--while saving money" Denney

What about that:

http://www.thomann.de/de/cerveny_bbtuba ... _opera.htm" target="_blank

Thanks for the replies. I really should give my little Cerveny a lot more credit than I have been. It probably is just fine for the types of groups I am playing in. Over the past year it seemed like I was seeing a lot of low D-flats and was really wanting a 5th valve, but I guess it really isn't all that big a deal. Reading this forum and sitting next to Mike Lynch tends to give a person a bit of horn envy. I just need to get over that.

I think I will sit tight with the Cerveny for now, but I do want to keep trying other horns to see what is out there. I just got an original Alan Baer mouthpiece and maybe that will breath a little new life into the horn.

One thing I might consider is looking for a good deal on a decent 4 valve BBb horn to play in the British brass band. That would solve my problem with the low D-flats, make reading the Bb treble clef parts easier and should give me something a little more appropriate to the group.

mike