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Ferg brought the two horns over today for me to give a honk. The CC first: If you want a BIG piston CC, and don't want to spend 15 grand, buy this horn. This is a nice tuba, great low notes, even sound, PLENTY of projection, superior intonation. I'd still get a tuning jigger on it (like all my horns). My one beef: crappy thumb ring. Easy fix if you get a fixed thumb ring.

Small F: The low C and B KICK ***. I expected the weird low notes like all small F's, but this one hauls. The high a (above middle c) SCREAMS. I could pick it off solidly and repeatedly. This is a great Bydlo horn. This one had a tuning jigger on it, that was a bit clunky, but should be easy to iron out this niggling problem with a swap of some hardware. If you want a SMALL F, with tons of projection, solid low c & b, this instrument should be on your short list. Ferg told me the price, but I forgot. Seems it was very reasonably priced. BOTH of these tubas are drop dead gorgeous. The fit & finish is way superior to a lot of instruments I've seen. The CC is a work of art.

respectfully submitted.

Thanks for the great review Tony!
Wait till you try the 5/4 F!

I hope this was the right image, If not please forgive me!

Darn the 5/4 F is cut off! check my FB wall to see the whole thing. Wish I could have been in the same room when you were testing the horns out, miss hearing you play pal!
Howard Miyata

My initial impressions of the Grand CC are quite good. I'm looking forward to taking it out and giving it a real test-drive in an ensemble. So far, my impressions are 1) it is very comfortable for me to hold, particularly considering how large it is 2) it is quite free-blowing, but not an air-hog 3) unlike many large CC's, the low G is a "cash register note" - you can take this one to the bank 4) I had to work on the adjustable thumb ring to make it stay in place, but that's just a set-up issue 5) two branches of the inner wrap of this tuba protruding towards the back of the instrument caused problems for a couple of larger players, but I am told that the factory has corrected this on the production model, as opposed to the prototype I have.

The new 5/4 F is a truly large instrument, close in size to the Rudolf Meinl 5/4 F. In Washington, DC, I showed the only one in existence so far. The overall quality and workmanship is quite good, and with the resolution of three items may be "the F tuba" in the US in coming years. The thumb ring must be moved in closer to the valveset, the rotor lever needs a little work, and the 5th line A is flat. When these items are resolved in the near future, the American F tuba will be as good as anyone else's.

tclements wrote:Small F: The low C and B KICK ***. I expected the weird low notes like all small F's, but this one hauls. The high a (above middle c) SCREAMS. I could pick it off solidly and repeatedly. This is a great Bydlo horn.

Yep! I commented at NAMM that I wish Bydlo was in A minor, this horn would be sooo easy to play in that key!