Initial Impression: Hirsbrunner HBS-193
Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 11:14 am
In my current state of unsociable disconnectedness within the tuba world, I don't know all the people who touch this story so I'm going to be a bit vague. A fellow of Russian origins, now (and then) living in New York, had occasion to order a handmade Hirsbrunner HB-193 Bb kaiser, back in the 90's. (This gentleman, who I have never met, apparently brought it to the Army conference this year).
The outcome of that order impressed people, and one of Dave Fedderly's customers at that time asked for one of his own. This fellow lived in New England, had studied with Jacobs at Northwestern back in the day, and had the scratch to pay for such an instrument. He loved the result, though he adjusted the leadpipe position, and apparently kept this tuba in a protected location in his house (unlike his other dozens of instruments which he stored in a garage).
Recently, this gentleman passed away, and parts of the collection are now being recirculated to new owners.
So, there are perhaps two Hirsbrunner Bb kaisers in the U.S., and as it happens, both were at the Army Conference this year.
I have always lived by the notion that if a tuba speaks to me, I should listen. I've never gone wrong with that approach, even when it required me to make a purchase when I wasn't in the market for anything. I have praised the kaiser Meinl-Westons here in the past (particularly the Fafner), and I have always admire the Rudi 5/4 tubas. This one isn't like either of those, but it's the same sort of instrument.
And I had come to the conclusion that even though I love my York Master, when I play it, I miss the Holton. There's nothing the YM does that the Holton doesn't do as well (or better)--well, except for that spectacular fourth valve on the YM, and the superb Nirschl/B&M valves--so having both does not give me something from which to choose for any particular occasion. Likewise, my Miraphone is a good example of the breed, from the 70's "Mirafone" population that we all lusted after when we were young. But when I need a smaller tuba (or a smaller tuba sound) than the Holton, my go-to instrument is my B&S F tuba, and the Miraphone sat unused, despite that I think it's the most versatile contrabass instrument I owned. I've owned the Miraphone for maybe 23 or 24 years, but I never built sentimental memories with it, and letting it go bothered me only a little. The point is: the big Hirsbrunner does overlap with the Holton, but not entirely. A proper kaiser will do some things the Holton won't do, and vice versa, giving me a reason to own both.
So, the York Master will, sometime this year, become available, and the Miraphone was used in trade (assuming I don't have second thoughts over the next week or so).
There was one other issue: I'm getting older, but I refuse to accept that fact. I have a problem with the shakes, on occasion, and my vital capacity is already shrunk significantly. So, if I want to play big, powerful tubas (despite not being a particularly powerful player), now is the time, while I can still handle them to any extent at all.
With all that rationalization aside, to the topic.
First, the HBS-193 is enormous. I would class it as slightly larger than a Rudy 5/4, but not nearly as large as a Rudy 6/4. The bore is smaller than both, however, at 20.5mm (.809). The height is 44 inches, and the bell stack is tall with a large throat. The 19" bell is more throat than pancake, giving the tuba amazing projection. The sucker's heavy: I haven't weighed it, but it's probably in the upper-20's of pounds.
The sound is glorious, with that Teutonic sense of command, and a deep resonance that provides a lot of feedback to the player (which is less common for these instruments). It's not warm and personal like the Holton, and also not as colorful. The Holton envelopes the listener when the hall is right, giving a sense of being "right here". This instrument comes at the listener from "over there". At the Army conference, I could hear the sound coming back to me from the (fortunately high) ceiling, even with all the Elephant Room competition (which usually blocks any sense of feedback). I have played (and opined about) 4/4 Hirsbrunner rotary tubas that had a closed or even muffled sound. Not this one. The best way I can demonstrate it is by cupping my hands in front of my mouth as if trying to warm them with my breath. When talking into hands cupped that way, my voice is muffled. This tuba is like opening the hands into a funnel to amplify the voice. It roars when pushed. Think 12' Bosendorfer piano.
I have had similar experiences with other German-style kaisers, such as Alexanders, the Meinl-Weston Fafner (in particular), the Rudy 5/4, even some of the older 4/4 tall-bell B&S-made stencils that are a lot like Bb Alexanders but with good intonation. It utterly lacks the hollow sound of the old Miraphone 190, and it's meaty and rich.
I just love big tubas. My own sound is rather thin and nasal--the product of never having really mastered the fundamentals properly--and big tubas really make me sound better than I am.
Of course, the big question with kaisers is intonation. Many have a glorious sound coupled to an unusable scale. This one is not perfect, but it seems (so far) to be quite manageable. The fifth partial is, as usual, flat, and B, C and D on the staff need a lift. This is easily done with the spring-centered first slide, which is designed with socks, trombone-slide-style, to facilitate easy adjustment and reliable return to a default position. The first valve needs to be vented, though, to take better advantage of that.
The sixth partial, which is sharp for the Holton (when I play it) and also congenitally sharp on many kaisers, is perfect on this instrument. The 8th partial is a bit flat, which is good--it's a lot easier to push up than pull down in that register. Nothing settled further out than about 12 cents, once I got the tuner I was using calibrated back to A440 (another story). The pitch was also fairly flexible without undermining the sound, at least it seems that way now. I'll know that answer better with the passage of time.
The present best slide settings are: Main slide out about half an inch (there will be trouble with a group that insists on playing sharp), first slide out about 1-1/2 inches (for the Eb below the staff, and about where the slide was intended to be set), second slide is showing about 3/8", third slide about 3/4", and fourth slide, which has about a mile and a half of pull, is out about an inch.
Attacks are clean and it is easy to play technical stuff on this tuba, though the valve springs are bit stiff compared to what I'm used to. In the middle of the register, the Holton can be more technical. But near the top of the staff the Hirsbrunner is easier to play than the Holton. Above the staff, though, not so much (not that I'm ever asked to play a Bb tuba that high). The fourth-valve on the Hirsbrunner is magic, and it reminds me of the fourth valve on the York Master. I have a terrible low register, and popping out low F's and E's are really very much point-n-shoot. The alternate resonances below that are excellent, as on most big tubas, including the Holton.
The Hirsbrunner is more demanding of air and embouchure, though, and will sound fuzzy and hollow if the note is not fed properly. The Holton is more forgiving in that regard, but both benefit from the Geibish cup of the Sellmansberger Symphony that I'm using. I suspect that playing the Hirsbrunner will make me better on both instruments, but the Holton will be better company in my old age.
I was using my Sellmansberger Symphony mouthpiece, as I do on the Holton, and it seems to work well.
This is the first Bb tuba I've bought since the Holton, which I bought a decade ago. I feel as though I have among the best available of the two distinctive styles of big contrabass tubas in Bb, and it will be a privilege to get to choose between them in the future.
At some point, I'll make a side-by-side picture of the Holton and the Hirsbrunner and will post it.
Rick "whose only complaint is that Cronkhite doesn't make a bag big enough for the Hirsbrunner" Denney
The outcome of that order impressed people, and one of Dave Fedderly's customers at that time asked for one of his own. This fellow lived in New England, had studied with Jacobs at Northwestern back in the day, and had the scratch to pay for such an instrument. He loved the result, though he adjusted the leadpipe position, and apparently kept this tuba in a protected location in his house (unlike his other dozens of instruments which he stored in a garage).
Recently, this gentleman passed away, and parts of the collection are now being recirculated to new owners.
So, there are perhaps two Hirsbrunner Bb kaisers in the U.S., and as it happens, both were at the Army Conference this year.
I have always lived by the notion that if a tuba speaks to me, I should listen. I've never gone wrong with that approach, even when it required me to make a purchase when I wasn't in the market for anything. I have praised the kaiser Meinl-Westons here in the past (particularly the Fafner), and I have always admire the Rudi 5/4 tubas. This one isn't like either of those, but it's the same sort of instrument.
And I had come to the conclusion that even though I love my York Master, when I play it, I miss the Holton. There's nothing the YM does that the Holton doesn't do as well (or better)--well, except for that spectacular fourth valve on the YM, and the superb Nirschl/B&M valves--so having both does not give me something from which to choose for any particular occasion. Likewise, my Miraphone is a good example of the breed, from the 70's "Mirafone" population that we all lusted after when we were young. But when I need a smaller tuba (or a smaller tuba sound) than the Holton, my go-to instrument is my B&S F tuba, and the Miraphone sat unused, despite that I think it's the most versatile contrabass instrument I owned. I've owned the Miraphone for maybe 23 or 24 years, but I never built sentimental memories with it, and letting it go bothered me only a little. The point is: the big Hirsbrunner does overlap with the Holton, but not entirely. A proper kaiser will do some things the Holton won't do, and vice versa, giving me a reason to own both.
So, the York Master will, sometime this year, become available, and the Miraphone was used in trade (assuming I don't have second thoughts over the next week or so).
There was one other issue: I'm getting older, but I refuse to accept that fact. I have a problem with the shakes, on occasion, and my vital capacity is already shrunk significantly. So, if I want to play big, powerful tubas (despite not being a particularly powerful player), now is the time, while I can still handle them to any extent at all.
With all that rationalization aside, to the topic.
First, the HBS-193 is enormous. I would class it as slightly larger than a Rudy 5/4, but not nearly as large as a Rudy 6/4. The bore is smaller than both, however, at 20.5mm (.809). The height is 44 inches, and the bell stack is tall with a large throat. The 19" bell is more throat than pancake, giving the tuba amazing projection. The sucker's heavy: I haven't weighed it, but it's probably in the upper-20's of pounds.
The sound is glorious, with that Teutonic sense of command, and a deep resonance that provides a lot of feedback to the player (which is less common for these instruments). It's not warm and personal like the Holton, and also not as colorful. The Holton envelopes the listener when the hall is right, giving a sense of being "right here". This instrument comes at the listener from "over there". At the Army conference, I could hear the sound coming back to me from the (fortunately high) ceiling, even with all the Elephant Room competition (which usually blocks any sense of feedback). I have played (and opined about) 4/4 Hirsbrunner rotary tubas that had a closed or even muffled sound. Not this one. The best way I can demonstrate it is by cupping my hands in front of my mouth as if trying to warm them with my breath. When talking into hands cupped that way, my voice is muffled. This tuba is like opening the hands into a funnel to amplify the voice. It roars when pushed. Think 12' Bosendorfer piano.
I have had similar experiences with other German-style kaisers, such as Alexanders, the Meinl-Weston Fafner (in particular), the Rudy 5/4, even some of the older 4/4 tall-bell B&S-made stencils that are a lot like Bb Alexanders but with good intonation. It utterly lacks the hollow sound of the old Miraphone 190, and it's meaty and rich.
I just love big tubas. My own sound is rather thin and nasal--the product of never having really mastered the fundamentals properly--and big tubas really make me sound better than I am.
Of course, the big question with kaisers is intonation. Many have a glorious sound coupled to an unusable scale. This one is not perfect, but it seems (so far) to be quite manageable. The fifth partial is, as usual, flat, and B, C and D on the staff need a lift. This is easily done with the spring-centered first slide, which is designed with socks, trombone-slide-style, to facilitate easy adjustment and reliable return to a default position. The first valve needs to be vented, though, to take better advantage of that.
The sixth partial, which is sharp for the Holton (when I play it) and also congenitally sharp on many kaisers, is perfect on this instrument. The 8th partial is a bit flat, which is good--it's a lot easier to push up than pull down in that register. Nothing settled further out than about 12 cents, once I got the tuner I was using calibrated back to A440 (another story). The pitch was also fairly flexible without undermining the sound, at least it seems that way now. I'll know that answer better with the passage of time.
The present best slide settings are: Main slide out about half an inch (there will be trouble with a group that insists on playing sharp), first slide out about 1-1/2 inches (for the Eb below the staff, and about where the slide was intended to be set), second slide is showing about 3/8", third slide about 3/4", and fourth slide, which has about a mile and a half of pull, is out about an inch.
Attacks are clean and it is easy to play technical stuff on this tuba, though the valve springs are bit stiff compared to what I'm used to. In the middle of the register, the Holton can be more technical. But near the top of the staff the Hirsbrunner is easier to play than the Holton. Above the staff, though, not so much (not that I'm ever asked to play a Bb tuba that high). The fourth-valve on the Hirsbrunner is magic, and it reminds me of the fourth valve on the York Master. I have a terrible low register, and popping out low F's and E's are really very much point-n-shoot. The alternate resonances below that are excellent, as on most big tubas, including the Holton.
The Hirsbrunner is more demanding of air and embouchure, though, and will sound fuzzy and hollow if the note is not fed properly. The Holton is more forgiving in that regard, but both benefit from the Geibish cup of the Sellmansberger Symphony that I'm using. I suspect that playing the Hirsbrunner will make me better on both instruments, but the Holton will be better company in my old age.
I was using my Sellmansberger Symphony mouthpiece, as I do on the Holton, and it seems to work well.
This is the first Bb tuba I've bought since the Holton, which I bought a decade ago. I feel as though I have among the best available of the two distinctive styles of big contrabass tubas in Bb, and it will be a privilege to get to choose between them in the future.
At some point, I'll make a side-by-side picture of the Holton and the Hirsbrunner and will post it.
Rick "whose only complaint is that Cronkhite doesn't make a bag big enough for the Hirsbrunner" Denney
