TubeNet

Hey,
I'm thinking about snagging a good beefy Eb tuba soon and the 2141 looks pretty cool. Doc mentioned that he played the PT22 and it rocked and that the 2141 was similar. Does anyone own a 2141 now and what do you think of the sound, intonation etc... I would be looking to use it on brass bands and maybe in a quintet or tuba quartet or something like that. The price of the 2141 seems really good also (just under 6 big ones). I played a besson 983 in brass band for a bit and it just didn't get the sound I wanted (size wise) and I felt a little naked without a 5th valve. Cool and or if anyone is looking to part with some sort of big eb (like a conn monster) with at least 4 vavles (sorry LV, but your horn looks awesome) let me know.
thanks,
Bill Pritchard

I found the 2141 and the Besson 983 to play very similarly. I don't think that the 2141 would have a much larger sound than the 983. A Willson 3400 is what I would call a "beefy" Eb, but it's more money than the 2141. You shouldn't feel naked without a 5th valve on a 983. Because it is compensating, playing 1+4 on a 983, or any other compensating tuba, has about the same amount of tubing as playing 4+5 with a flat whole step 5th valve. The extra tubing goes through much tighter turns, but the length should be abuot the same. The same is true of other 5th valve combinations vs. the 4 valve comp equivalent.