How consistent are modern Miraphones?

[Peach]

Are they so consistent you'd consider buying one blind?

Thanks,
MP

[bort]

I would buy one blind, especially is a 186 or 188.

[iiipopes]

Recast the question, which still addresses the issue of consistency: if you had to go on the road to perform at a place where you could not take your own tuba for any particular logistical reason, but a new tuba of reasonable choice would be provided, would you feel comfortable requesting a 186 or 188?

I can tell you that happened to me on bass guitar. So I requested an Ibanez SR305, of all the brands and models I could have requested, because they are so consistent from instrument to instrument it is scary. Yes. It played exactly like my personal Ibanez instrument and I didn't have to think about it as I played.

Now, back to tubas. Miraphone characteristics are well known and IMO they are that consistent. I would have no problem requesting a 186, or 187 (since I play mostly BBb) or 188 as the provided tuba.

[Donn]

I interpret "modern" to mean something like "made recently", where "recent" would ideally relate to recent history of the firm but in default of any such information let's say last 10 years.

To have any idea how consistent they are, you'd need to have made fairly detailed, hands on observations on a number of them, let's say at least a dozen. You could have made these observations by proxy, from recent purchasers who you know to be competent, but it's so unlikely that two different owners are going to report the same problems given the same tuba, that I'd suggest the sample size would need to be an order of magnitude higher in that case.

To answer the question without something like that as a factual basis, is worse than the hearsay some of us were complaining about a week ago, it's just baseless supposition. (Even if that's what was asked for.)

[Dylan King]

I bought my Bruckner CC (sight and sound) unseen. I think I was the first in the USA to get one. It is an amazing instrument!

[cjk]

If I were blind, I'd spend money on glasses instead of a tuba.

I would buy a 188 without trying it first. I would verify some sort of return policy.

[Mark]

bloke "I GUARANTEE it."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P1lcV-GdIo

[Peach]

Thank-you gentlemen

[iiipopes]

bloke "I GUARANTEE it."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P1lcV-GdIo

I miss Justin and his extra dashes of hot sauce. I used to watch him on TV every Saturday morning twenty-five or so years ago, as much for his humor and story-telling as his great cooking.

[jeopardymaster]

Back when they were in Sun Valley Jim Self picked mine out for me long ago, as a favor to my teacher at the time, Rex Conner. Jim did REAL good.