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Hello Everyone,

I am in need of some advice from my fellow tubenetters. It has been over 30 years since my university has purchased a new tuba, and the Dean has just approved the purchase of two new horns with all the bells and whistles. We are in Canada so it makes trying out a variety of horns nearly imposible short of hopping a plane.

Now that the hard part is over and the Dean's wallet is open, we get to have some fun and actually get some new horns. The problem is we haven't the first idea where to start in terms of what to buy. Both myself and the other tuba player are in our second year, I have a Marzan 5/4 CC rotor and he is using the schools Yam 641 BBb, both great horns. Our applied instructor is pretty set on getting 2 CC's, which is fine with both of us. We were looking at getting a couple MW Thors but in speaking with a salesman today, to get some quotes, he was a bit hesitant due to their size and possible lack of versatility outside of a large ensemble.

I play everything on my Marzan; solos, small ensembles, wind ensemble, orchestra, but I want to make sure im not taking a myopic look at horns. I am a bigger guy and I have always played on bigger horns so a bigger horn is fine for me, but may not be appropriate if in the future we have a young lady tuba player who is 5"3 and petite.

We would love to get some feedback on what would make a good choice for the school. We have funds to buy some nice horns but we just need to make sure that we are making a selection that would be appropriate for years to come.

Thanks in advance!

YCB-826 (I'd love to see the look on his face when you tell him it only cost 45K)

In all seriousness, I would go back to the local music store and ask the clerk what he can get for you to try out. They will sell you a tuba at a generous mark-up (as most canadian stores do) so having them ship 4-5 different tubas for you to try out is not asking too much, imho. If there is a St-john's or Long and McQuade, you should be able to try out several of the Yamahas. The YCB-822 should be easy to obtain and you should be able to try it. You can also try the YCB-621.

Northernlb wrote:Can't go wrong with mirafone 186 tubas.

I agree completely! The 186 is the ultimate all-around tuba. IMHO

I would seriously consider the Miraphone 188 as a great all around horn. Perfect for just about everything.

Just my thoughts.

Roger

I feel inclined to recommend Rudy Meinl 3/4 tubas. But they are rare, and potentially very expensive... So definitely the 186 or the 188 gets my vote.

Good luck!

You might want to consider the Kanstul model 90 CC tuba. The 4/4 sized 4-piston, 5th rotor CC has the York sound, great intonation and response, and will work extremely well in any ensemble. It can readily make itself heard in a large band or orchestra, yet can be played delicately in solo and small ensemble situations. The upper 1st, 3rd 4th and 5th valve slides are hand-lapped at the factory so that "slide pullers" can easily manipulate them, although my experience with the tuba is such that I have not needed to resort to slide manipulation. This tuba is equipped with a York-style receiver that accepts both the smaller American shank mouthpieces and the larger-shank mouthpieces from Europe. When I say it has great intonation, check it with a tuner and see if this American-made instrument isn't easier to play in-tune than some very popular German tubas, top-to-bottom. And, I think your university will find the pricing to be attractive-enough, too.

Hi-
Check out the J-844 and J-845 4 and 5 valve CC piston tubas at:
http://www.barthsbrassblog.com" target="_blank

Dick Barth will be in China this week, I believe, checking on the latest / new additions to the line up, but contact him in a week if you so desire at:
bigmouthbrass@gmail.com" target="_blank

GREAT tubas!!

Good luck!

Mark

Might I make a different type of suggestion? A big problem in college is playing different styles of tubas to get an idea of what you want to get for yourself. Might a suggest a German style CC and an American style CC so students can try the two different styles, compare them, and give themselves valuable knowledge when going to buy their own tubas. I would suggest a Miraphone 188 and a Kanstul 90. Two very different styles of tubas, both easy to play with good pitch. That will let the student figure out on their own what style of tuba they like.

OR...
Get one CC tuba and one F tuba. This could cover more needs of students than just two CC tubas.

Just some food for thought.

BBb tubas will be more useful to more people than CC tubas. They are also often cheaper.

A pair of 4 valve King 2341 tubas would be perfect for any college band. You might even be able to get two for what one Thor costs.

I'll add another vote for the Kanstul 90S. I've been having a great time over the last several months with the one my band purchased and I've gotten lots of compliments in concert band and quintet. I've owned several tubas and played even more extensively during my Army career and have found that the 4/4 size will accomplish the most, especially in the institutional setting. And while larger horns can be successfully used for solos and quintets, and small horns employed in larger ensembles, they may not be ideal and push the envelope of the horn or the player.

What has also impressed me with the Kanstul is the palette of tonal colors that is available at all dynamic levels. The horn is comfortable in the lap and I have found no ergonomic detractors. The wrap is on the compact side and its bell flare is rather close to the slides but there is ample room to pull for any needed adjustment. I would seriously consider this instrument for the studio at your university.

Out of curiosity, where are you located?

THE WORKHORSE:
186
The new ones have the wider flare 17 3/4 inch bell that is as versatile as it gets, albeit slightly "vanilla" in tone. And they will last another two decades, at least. Mine is 41 years old, has been rebuilt only once before I got it (after being retired by an institution of higher learning), and continues to soldier on.

Kanstul 90-S's(CC) are great, i know Bob Carpenter and Tom Treece-the guys who designed it,they are great, but also Cerveny 681's(BBb) and they can come cheap but play AS WELL AS OR BETTER than Miraphone 186's(BBb), I own one and really love it!

the elephant wrote:The whole CC tuba myth is a lot of bunk, anyway: No one *needs* to play a CC tuba these days, at all, anywhere. . . If you are not going to be a performer then use what the school offers you or - again - buy your own. Very simple.

Where's that like button?

russiantuba wrote:
Assuming the school gets a small discount, they will pay $20,000 USD for the 2 thors, but this amount could be up to $24000! My recommendation is to buy a solid CC tuba.

Horn guys has a Miraphone 1291CC for $8500 USD. If he is willing to pay $20,000-$24,000, you could essentially get a Miraphone 1291CC and 2 King 2341 tubas.

The OP is in Canada... Even with the dollar are parity it's safe to add about 10%-20% to those prices (Because of taxes, brokerage, and various fees(tax rates vary by province)). FWIW, hornguys is a great store but *I* don't know if a university in Canada would be interested in dealing with them directly.(some have a local only type policy, btw) Our border inspection agency is anal and once in a while people get some kind of "surprise." Universities with tight budgets might not want to deal with the fact that they might be on the line for an extra thousand or so. Usually universities will buy from a local source. Very few stores have anything else in stock besides BBb tubas. However, Yamahas tend to be relatively easy to get for a trial. I know several people with Yamahas for the exact reason that they easy to obtain.

I reiterate: Try a YCB-822.


FWIW, King 2341 tubas are not common at all up here. In my experience many (middle/high) schools own either Jupiters or Yamahas. (Eastman and Weril have also taken a fair share of the market).

Really, Kanstul is the way to go, they also have a BBb 4/4, the 33-S which is also really nice.