HB-6 questions. please help?

[bentuba7]

Hey Tubenetters,

I currently play an HB-2 and couldn't be happier with it as a big 4/4 all around CC tuba that can do anything. Recently, I've been looking at bigger used horns to add to my complete my wish list arsenal of a big CC, a medium CC, and a medium F. I've had my eye on a couple Yorkbrunners, a Neptune, and a PCK, but please, do tell, what are the details of the HB-6??

Any help would be much appreciated!

[Roger Lewis]

I believe that Sumner Erickson also plays one of these and he sounds fantastic on it. You might want to check with him as well.

Having watched Alan Baer play his at one point, it was noticeable that there were some more than casual intonation issues with his. The horns were considered to be a 5/4 sized rotary valved instrument and were all hand made, though it appears that there were (as will always be the case) differences from horn to horn.

Have fun with your research.

Roger

[TheHatTuba]

Awhile back, somebody was selling Alan Baer's HB6, overhauled by Hirsbrunner with an added main tuning trigger. Other than particular horn, I've never seen another one for sale.

[MackBrass]

I owned an HB6 for several years so here are my thoughts. The soud was good but the intonation needed some serious attention. Although I thought my horn was better then most others that I played, there were a few out there that were horrific when it came to intonation. The valves were the plastic core, I never had a problem with them but others have.

Here is what you may consider, find an Alexander 164 BBb and cut it up to a CC tuba, you will have the same exact horn as a HB6 with the exception of the bore on the valves as the Alex 164 is like a .840 os so and the HB6 was around .790 as can I remember. At the time I was attending the Hartt School of Music, we had a 164 and side by side with the HB6, it was hard to tell the difference as the bell, upper and lower bow were the same for both horns. The Alex BB was a better tuba though.

If you looking for something bigger, get a Thor or the new Bear from Dave Fedderly as the low reg and sound are great on those horns and you wont fight the intonation.

[tubacdk]

I played an HB-6 for several years. The intonation on mine was VERY good. It was a great symphonic tuba with a very colorful sound, a dense core and great clarity. The only reason I sold mine was that I needed a CC tuba that was more versatile for my freelancing needs. It was simply too big for a lot of the work I did.

I still feel that the HB-6 is one of the best symphonic tubas available, though they're hard to find and expensive. I really only had experience on mine, so I can't speak to the intonation tendencies of the whole line of instruments. Being that they were (apparently?) only made when ordered, I can imagine that there would be inconsistencies.

[Norm Pearson]

Just to clarify...
The two HB-6's I've played were NOT dogs at all. Both were excellent instruments, particularly the one I tried at Custom. I sometimes think that if I had purchased the HB-6, I'd still have it.

I also tried the HB6 at Custom when I bought a Kurath in 1990. A few years later I bought THAT HB6 and it was a great tuba: great German sound, amazing low register and it projected like crazy. What I did not like was the pitch. I had a rod installed on the main slide and a stop on the first slide. Open C in the staff was very sharp (3" push on the main slide!) and fifth partial C#, D, Eb and E were extremely flat. It got tiresome pushing and pulling and lipping to play it in tune. I sold that tuba to Scott Sutherland. The HB6 that Chuck Koontz owned was one I bought from Cherry Beauregard. The pitch was much better on that horn and the sound was sweeter and warmer but it didn't have the "grunt factor" like the other HB6. My old #1 was up for sale briefly and the owner decided to not to sell it.

The HB6 can be a fantastic tuba but since they are handmade they vary quite a bit.

Norm Pearson

[J.c. Sherman]

The two I played I thought were very nice, but much more brilliant to my ear than their size would indicate; I much preferred - and ultimately purchased - an Alex 164 CC. The pitch was terrible, but with a certain fingering pattern, perfectly manageable.