TubeNet

The purpose of this thread is to get a few opinions as to what exactly are the "do it all tubas." I currently own one which is a rudy 3/4 ( the one I've heard the most as being a versatile instrument).

What defines versatile? IMHO.... Well a horn that can-

Support a mid-large sized orchestra

Perform solos

Perform in a brass quintet (efficiently and without drowning out the ensemble)

RM 3/4, PIggy, 186. all in CC. Preferably a vintage 1960s 186.

In the past, I have used both the Rudy 3/4 CC and a Willson 3400 EEb very effectively as a "do everything" tuba. There probably isn't a horn that's more fun to play than a Rudy 3/4, but the Willson EEb does a great job blending in ensembles.

Miraphone 188 -- not the absolute best at anything (except maybe intonation) but really good at just about everything. Its a great horn if you only have 1 horn.

Rudy 4/4 BBb, maybe not for Bydlo ...

Not my favorite, but I know some people who have used YFB-822's to great effect for everything.

Uhm, if video and audio evidence is taken into account, a Besson EEb seems to be THE most versatile tuba ever made. YMMV.

Chuck"we all know what opinions are like"Jackson

Besson 981/2 EEb tuba or equivalent.

PMeuph wrote:Besson 981/2 EEb tuba or equivalent.

As British tuba players know, there is no other tuba that is as good 'do it all' horn as the compensated 3+1 EEb with 19" bell of whatever brand.

What other tuba would be equally as good for Berlioz or Prokofiev - Bydlo , or Wagner Ring? Works as well in symphony orchestra, brass quintet, military band or brass band. I have played one in all. It may not always be the very best tool for the job, but if you are going to gig not knowing the music to be played, then it is the best to be able to cover anything that may turn up on the stand

I agree that a good size Eb would be ideal. I remember playing a Nirschl Eb 5-valve that would be a great do-it-all horn for me. I tried the 5-valve from Kanstul and I really enjoyed that one too.

So my vote is for a 5-valve E-flat of a good size. Both, as I recall, had comparable breadth of tone to a 4/4 CC.

Chuck Jackson wrote:Uhm, if video and audio evidence is taken into account, a Besson EEb seems to be THE most versatile tuba ever made. YMMV.

Chuck"we all know what opinions are like"Jackson

I was going to say that for me it is my Besson 983 EEb. I have used it as the only tuba player in a band of 75 members and in brass quintets and everything in between. It has a solid low range and an easy high range.

bloke wrote:the legendary Cb tuba...

Ahhhh yes. The fabled horn which was crafted by both Wilhelm Wieprecht and Johann Gottfried at the same time. Sadly, much like the Highlander, there could only be one Cb (because to name a horn B natural was to mainstream at the time of 1835), and so the horns were pitted against one another until one of the braces on one of the horns (Origins differ as to which horn) gave and a bell fell to the ground (Which that very bell was recovered by JW York two decades later.)

Stories differ from here. Some say it somehow reached the hands of Bill Bell, while others say that Philip Catilenet farted on it.

It's current whereabouts remain unknown.

Cthuba wrote: It's current whereabouts remain unknown.

There's a clone of it for sale on Ebay right now, though. Scroll down the description section and look at the title:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Schiller-Americ ... 417ebaa942

Pre-WWI Cerveny Db helicon 4RV - the old style Cyrillic letters of the shield indicate, that this instrument was intended for the Russian market:

Pre-WWI Cerveny Db helicon 4RV … now that’s neat…look at that tangled mess-o-tubes. Cool.

I’m gonna go against the Eb grain here and state the Getzen CB/G-50 is a Magic Bullet / Do-it-all tuba. At least it has been for me.

Curmudgeon wrote:All square pegs can be forced in to all round holes with enough effort.

Yes, but it's the shavings you have to worry about...

Casca Grossa wrote:(Blah), piston Culbertson Neptune, (blah)

Rather you than me for an all-rounder...

I find it interesting that rotor horns seem to be dominating this category.

More specifically, not huge rotary valve tubas. Aside from the Bessons and clones, of course. Could that be due to having a larger bore possible while maintaining some speed?