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From the tornister thread, I checked out their homepage. Besides never hearing of these guys before, they make a double tuba, like a double french horn! BBb and F. Has anyone out there actually played it?!?

http://www.hsm-brass.de/tuben.html" target="_blank

I personally don't get the value of having a double tuba.

If I play a bass tuba, I am looking for a different tone quality, not just the chance to play a different set of fingerings!

The problem with double tubas is not really the horn but what people expect from them. These are not designed to be seperate horns but just a different way of playing low in tune (just like how European horn players play mainly on the Bb side and only use the F side for some low register stuff). Think of these like a compensating euphonium. No one would dream about just holding down the fourth valve and playing it like an F tuba, yet that's what people think they can do with a double tuba. Most of the old ones I have played have sucked but that's because they were 60+ years old and the valves were shot. I have spent a lot of time with a modern alexander double and can tell you that it is awesome. In fact I will be selling my B&S symphonie to pay for one as the low end is superior on the double tuba and yet still has that amazing alexander mid and high range. Here is how I play one.

Low Db on up I play the horn (F/CC) with F tuba fingerings. Low C on down I hold down the change valve and use CC fingerings. The cool thing I like about this is that I can play the pedal F, E, and Eb as valves notes and not pedals. The fingering patterns down low are also much simpler on the double tuba. Is it going to sound like a big CC tuba down low? No, cause the body is that of an F tuba. However, it does make the task of playing low on the F tuba much easier. YMMV of course but don't write this type of horn off because you played one super old horn and it didn't play well.

Curmudgeon wrote:All tubas need to be learned for the player to play them well.

As I understand them, your's is the standard approach to a double tuba's use.

Post pics of your new Alex F/CC, especially that BACV (big a$$ change valve).

You would think how I play it is the norm but I have talked to people who complain that the high end isn't good on the CC side. What is obvious for some is not so for others.

The change valve isn't the big one on these horns. The four main valves are the big ones since they are double deckers.

I still gotta sell my B&S before I can take it home. The buying and selling is a little harder here with the language barrier that I have. But it'll get sold. If you want a pimped out symphonie send me a pm

These "double tubas" are no different from the Besson compensating Eb tubas. Calling them double tubas may be what leads people to think of them differently. There is no more straight tubing on the double tuba for say a low G than a normal six valve F tuba. However, the tubing is just set up better for pitch. No one poo poos an Eb compensating horn cause they work and so do these. Next time you play one take the mind set of a Besson but up a step.