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Hi all,

I am a college Junior looking to buy a tuba, but I need some advice. I have been borrowing BBb's throughout high school and college and have now been playing on the Yamaha YBB-641 for 7 years. I am looking to pursue conducting (eek), but I want to take the dive and invest in a horn.

I went to Austria this past spring and studied with Michael Pircher of the Tonkunstler Orchestra and had the honor of using his MW Fafner for the bulk of my time there. I was spoiled and when I returned to my Yamaha at school I was unsatisfied. I'm ready and willing to try something new. I have a few questions.

Is making the jump to CC necessary to be a respected tuba player in the States?

What do you advise I look for in a CC? Should the sound I look for be any different than what I'm used to?

What horns do you recommend? New or used?


Thanks a lot for your help and I can provide more information if necessary.

Best regards,
Paul

What does your current teacher say?

My current teacher is a trombonist and recommended I seek the advice of tuba players. My Austrian teacher was a little biased towards the Austrian sound.

well.....A 5/4 Fasolt is a very nice instrument if not the most versatile.

I do not own a std BBb anymore, only a kaiser.
The CC is by far the Tuba I use the most, and
the Eb comes around for solos/ensembles and brass band

If a were to only have one, I'd take the CC

Yes, CC horns are the standard for most of the pros, but, the best horn for you is the one you sound best on. If you're serious, I'd try to travel to a good tuba shop, Tuba Exchange, Baltimore Brass,etc. or try to attend a Tuba conference, the Army Tuba Conference this January would be a fine one to go to. Try out a bunch of horns, and see what fits best for you, if you sound like a million bucks, it doesn't matter what type of horn you play on. Sure, CC tubas will be less awkward to play on certain keys, but, if you sound great on a BBb, overcome the awkwardness and drive on.

My short list of good CC horns...
Meinl-Weston
Willson
Gronitz
Yamaha
B&S
Miraphone

There are a few other great manufacturers, just find a good fit, and perfect it.

Hope this helps!

Finkpaul wrote:I am a college Junior looking to buy a tuba, but I need some advice. I have been borrowing BBb's throughout high school and college and have now been playing on the Yamaha YBB-641 for 7 years. I am looking to pursue conducting (eek), but I want to take the dive and invest in a horn.

Since conducting would appear to be your primary goal, how much and what kind of playing are you planning on doing? Just big groups, or quintet/playing solos for yourself/...? For the latter a bass tuba might be the best bet- easier for most solos, easier for most quintet, and easier to carry around!
Given how long you've played Bb and that there plenty of nice Bb's out there, if you're staying with contrabass a Bb makes the most sense (unless you play something else that really catches you). Why screw with a decade of playing Bb especially if playing isn't your primary musical endeavor?

bloke wrote:Does this sound familiar?

No, not at all.

Cut to the chase and buy the B&S F tuba for sale now. (I owned one of those Yamahas myself, and switched 100% to F for many years). I added the aforementioned B&S Gr51 last year, and it's a great deal for the money, especially.

Don't know where you live, but Dillon's on North NJ had close to 6x (maybe 7x) more tubas right there on the shelves, ready to play, than Tuba Exchange did.
Key is your choice. . . Might depend on your school as departments have preferences. Also someone pointed out that you want to conduct anyway.
The Fafner will be tough to follow up on a student budget. . . maybe want something more middle of the road in bore/sound (Euro/York) for small/large ensemble playing. Consider who will you be playing with for the next couple of years.

Thanks all for your advice! It has been extremely helpful.

Paul