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"life is too short to play a tuba only because of it's price"-Confucius,470BC.

I've been told to be weary of St. Pete's, but for 500 dollars it might be worth a shot.

I have heard the metal on them is really weak and they are very inconsistent, but if you need a horn that bad for that price what have you got to lose?

Josh

For the money, hold out for a better tuba. I bought a 1949 Conn Naked Lady Eb three valver off of that auction site for $400 and it plays better than any St. Pete that I have run into. I also saw them going for less, so you might look into it.

Sou

I had a soviet army issue thin skinned Eb tuba with three very sluggish rotary valves.P.O.C..I got a King Eb off E-Bay for less than $500 with lots of boogie left in it.

Imperial wrote:the one I'm talking about is also a lacquer (Eb). but with just 3 rotary valves

Guys...

He's probably talking about one of the old St. Petersburg tubas...way pre Tuba Exchange. They are frequently sold on ebay and are usually marked either "St. Petersberg," "Leningrad," or with some kind of Soviet military insignia.

Either that or he's talking about one of the modern low-end non-Tuba Exchange ones that made its way into the U.S. (or whatever country the original poster lives in) that is comparable in quality to the St. Petersburg BBb tubas that have become infamous on this board.

So, it is unlikely that it's the "same" St. Petersburg most of us are thinking of that he is actually talking about.

It's not worth $500 to me, but hey...if you like it...go for it!

MikeMason wrote:"life is too short to play a tuba only because of it's price"-Confucius,470BC.

And we all know how farsighted Confucius was in his thinking. He was a man far ahead of his time.

chevy68chv wrote:I've been told to be weary of St. Pete's, but for 500 dollars it might be worth a shot.

At times I grow weary of hearing about St. Pete's, too. Let us be tolerant of those who wish to discuss them, however. Now I would be a bit wary of purchasing one, but that's just me. You might want to go ahead and spend your money.

The guy who sits next to me in brass band has one of these; it is stuffy in the low register similar to a rotary F tuba, but playable if you spend some time. He had trouble with the valves (I hope he's not the one selling it to you....!) I think $500 would be top dollar for this tuba. However, if you need a tuba in this price range, it would be better than not having a tuba. I didn't play it enough to determine intonation tendencies.
MA

What do you plan to do with it? Having only 3 valves on an Eb tuba can make it difficult to play below a low A easily. It depends on the tuba, but for general purpose playing I wouldn't get a 3 valve Eb, of any brand. $500 seems to me to be about the top of the value for this horn.

For $500, with a little time and work invested, you should not have any trouble finding a used Conn or Besson EEb three-banger. You would be better off with that than with the St. Pete.