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An opportunity presented itself for me to trade my Rudy Meinl for a rotary Neptune, and I decided to go for it. I've always wanted one, I like how they sound, and there will never be an easier time in my life to own a BAT. So... why not? I've had the Neptune for about 24 hours now -- and to steal bloke's word from when he got his Besson Eb, I am giddy.

The Neptune has a GREAT sound and it is extremely easy to play. It can sound HUGE sound, but it doesn't always have to -- it's very flexible. For such a large tuba, it's easy to hold, easy to play, and all around just a complete pleasure to play. Mechanically, it is great -- awesome valve action, top-notch construction, and ergonomically very friendly. The engraved paddles really feel nice.

The response is outstanding -- it speaks clearly and cleanly in every register. The high range is easy, and the low range just absolutely roars out of this horn -- low F, E, and Eb are point and shoot and automatic.

Intonation is good -- that is, no major red flags, and after a few hours of playing, I certainly haven't found all of the quirks and adjustments I'll have to make. But, I know there's nothing severe, and nothing that can't be worked around. The only thing I'm still figuring out is 4th valve D -- it centers less well than the surrounding notes, and while it sounds fine, it doesn't "feel" quite the same as other notes. Minor issue, and just part of getting to know the horn. Reminds me of low C on an F tuba in the sense of being "different," but without being funky or squirrelly. Again, I've got about 2 hours on this horn, I have no expectations of mastering it that quickly.

I'm sure there will be downsides and some negative aspects to it. It's big, a little hard to get in the car, impractical for small groups (which I rarely, if ever play in), etc. But for now, I think this is really what I want and is VERY much what I've been looking for. I'm extremely excited.

Yes, I will miss the Rudy, and that Rudy sound! But my motivation here was to get something that 1) sounded larger and 2) was easier to play. The Rudy was (and is) an outstanding tuba, but in the end, it and I just didn't quite "click" as we needed to, especially for the amount of practice time and upkeep I could give it. Trading a bit of sound and character for something more point and shoot seems like it will serve me well.

And yes, I know... I've been through a lot of tubas the past few years. But I'm a believer that when you buy a tuba, you need a little time to decide if you're going to keep it long-term. And I also think that even fantastic tubas can turn out to not be keepers for various reasons. And worst case, none of the tubas I've owned are unique -- they made more, and I can always go back! You only go around once, so take the opportunities when they come up.

Here's the obligatory photo:

Congrats & enjoy!

Awesome!!

Thanks guys! So far, so good... Did I mention how easily this thing plays?

Definitely a looker, I can see there was a small bell crease fixed near the rim. After the Rudy smash, this is nothing. Plus, with a 20.5" bell, I'm certainly not surprised.

Not that lineage really matters at all for tubas, but it has some interesting history to it, and big name player who really likes it. Kinda neat for 20 seconds.

Congrats!!

Congrats and welcome to the club. This is my first BAT as well, so it's all new to me. Joe Sellmansberger has put together a shank/cup/rim combination that works great for me and the Neptune. Not only are tuning issues much more minor now, I blend well with the two BBb tubas in the community band I play in. We sound more like a section now. Anyway, have fun!

Barry Guerrero

Thanks again, everyone! I will check out a few mouthpieces eventually, but for now my Kanstul Geib seems to do the job pretty well -- at least well enough for me to get to know the horn a little better first, and then decide what to do. I don't want to totally change *everything* all at once.

Two questions about the horn:
1) I noticed tonight that the bottom bow is very clearly hand-hammered; it's not perfectly smooth like the bell, but rather you can see a ton of very fine dimples. Is that how all of these were made?

2) The 3rd and 4th slides both have water keys on the *top* of the slides. Is this a "vent" to use when slide pulling? Or are they just water keys (so I would tip the horn to the left, and empty via key rather than pulling the slide?

Just from looking at the photo, I'd guess for tipping without having to pull the slide. Are those stock?I've never seen such a thing, but if they are unintrusive it seems like a good idea.

Waytago! Play it proudly!

I'll post a photo of it tomorrow. I *thought* I had heard someone mention before about them being for slide pulling. Which seems odd, since venting the valves would achieve that as well (and the 2nd valve w/kicker is already vented anyway).

Very excited about this tuba. I'm hoping this is the last change I make for a good long time (and I think my wife is, too! )

It looks like you got one of the (highly desired) earlier models. Which leadpipe are you using? I have always been partial to smaller leadpipes on bigger tubas, but the larger leadpipes do give more wiggle room on bending the pitch. You may want to try the blokepiece orchestra grand model, with a regular and a profoundo rim and see what works best.

Nice move, bort. I doubt you will miss the Rudy. Much...

My Neptune has patches where those water keys were - same locations. I'm thinking of having one or two installed on the bottom end of those same tubes.

I have a Kanstul Geib (Euro) as well, but it was a bit too big when using it in the community band I play in (which is a bit challenged in terms of using dynamics). The piece that Joe Sellmansberger put together for me works better in that context (and has a lovely sound). I hoping I'll get to cut loose with the big Geib in an orchestra playing Mahler or Prokofiev some day - when I have more free time.

Barry

MartyNeilan wrote:It looks like you got one of the (highly desired) earlier models. Which leadpipe are you using? I have always been partial to smaller leadpipes on bigger tubas, but the larger leadpipes do give more wiggle room on bending the pitch. You may want to try the blokepiece orchestra grand model, with a regular and a profoundo rim and see what works best.

Thanks Marty (and everyone else)! Interesting... I haven't done too much Neptune history searching yet, but eventually I'll get to the bottom of it. I believe there is a post somewhere that explains the evolution of the Neptune by its bell engraving. At the least, I know that as a VMI Neptune, it's slightly earlier than a B&S Neptune. Apart from what's on the bell, I'm sure it's extremely minor differences, if any.

I'm using the medium leadpipe right now, I haven't bothered to try the large one yet. I'm sure I will eventually, but I've never heard anyone suggest or recommend the large pipe, so I'm not in a hurry to do it.

The first tuba I ever owned was a 4/4 VMI CC (like a MW-30). This tuba reminds me a lot of that, and that's a very good thing.

The water keys make a lot more sense now, and actually seems like a pretty clever idea. Time will tell what I actually think of it, but it seems pretty convenient. Barry -- the problem with water keys at the bottom is "where does the water go?" Seems like it would end up in your lap.

And no, I don't miss the Rudy very much (yet?), even though it was great in its own right and definitely the best playing 4/4 I've ever tried. Best part about the trade is that both me and the other person love our new instruments, and got just what we were looking for. Pretty cool.

Congrats! When I saw the subject line and you as the author, I knew exactly what you did...

I've considered putting water keys on the third valve slide on my King/Holton to prevent pulling it all the time. I believe Wade did that on his Eb tuba he built.

Enjoy!

I've only played one Neptune (years ago), and liked it quite a bit. Those tubas seem more "friendly" than other 6/4 tubas......the cloud face engraved on the bell, the engraved rotor paddles, and the thick, warm sound and easy response just make it a friendly big tuba

bort wrote: The first tuba I ever owned was a 4/4 VMI CC (like a MW-30). This tuba reminds me a lot of that, and that's a very good thing.

Think of your VMI Neptune being like a 6/4 version of that old horn! VMI and M-W tubas have always (to me) had very similar tonal/playing characteristics

bort wrote: But for now, I think this is really what I want

ReaLLY?

DUDE!

what r odds u still got after next usa pres sworn in???

boobentuben wrote:ReaLLY?

DUDE!

what r odds u still got after next usa pres sworn in???

Life happens, playing situations change, and personal preferences adapt over time. What r odds? Who knows. If you'd like to bet on my decision making processes though, I would be happy to set some odds and let u bet on it. And you don't have to wait until Jan 2017, either. (This is so bizarre, I'm not even sure how to mock it!)

Beyond that, with apologies to Kevin Spacey's character in American Beauty, it's the tuba I've always wanted and now I have it. I rule!

How far did you have to pull the 4th valve slide to get D and low G in tune?

iiipopes wrote:How far did you have to pull the 4th valve slide to get D and low G in tune?

Hrmm... not very far, really. I have to lip the D a little bit to get it to center (it's the ONLY note where that's the case), but intonation has been very low-fuss.