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For me, its 4 months. Outstanding instrument, but it just wasn't "me." I have long believed that play tests help you decide to buy, but it takes a few months to decide if it's really going to work and if you should keep it long term.

I wouldn't want to do this *too* often, but if its not right, I believe in pulling the plug sooner than later.

What's the shortest time you've owned a certain instrument?

Yamaha YBB-103. It came unexpected at a price I couldn't refuse, so I got it to see how a 3/4 would work for quintet. It worked well, so naturally I sold it a couple of months later. Replaced it with a 3/4 with four valves.

I had a JinBao 700 compensating Eb. I had it for about a month or two. I decided Eb doesn't like me. So I traded it for a 410 CC, and sold that shortly thereafter because I already have my Hirsbrunner.

Had a St. Pete BBb nickel plated rotary about 5 years back. Came as part of a trade. My investment about $750. Pretty beat up but I did a quick overhaul on it, major dents, braces, etc. It played pretty crisp, resonant at close range. Played really easy which should have told me something regarding projection. Intonation was ok. Players in the area kept touting them. Took it on one symphonic band gig and it was lost with its light sound. Put a $1500 price tag on it and it sold in a week. After that I used a BBb York/Master Model Frankenstein for about 4 years. Huge sound and never let me down, just an "old worn out friend." (leakey valves that needed a 10/30 motor oil mix.) Now its been 2 years on a new BMB CC BAT that does what I need. Almost inaudible pianissimos to volcanic fortissimos. No problem whatsoever with projection and presence. But there is an art to playing one that does require a modicum of patience.

bloke wrote:Including "tubas that I ACTUALLY bought with the intention of keeping them", I would say "two weeks".

I bought a ____________ (' was in perfect-new condition w/case), played it on ONE Christmas Eve midnight mass, was sorely disappointed with it's intonation AND its ability to maneuver, and had it sold before New Year's Day.

Curiously, of the tubas that I've encountered of that make/model, many of them seem to date back to that era, and appear to have been almost never-played.

A certain prototype model from M-W

Ok, now I don't feel so bad.

Ten months. A VMI 103 that I bought brand new. Tried to like it, wanted to like it, just didn't. Goodbye!

Which particular tuba are you talking about?

eupher61 wrote:Which particular tuba are you talking about?

Neptune is out. Truly an excellent horn... just not quite "me" and I never totally felt comfortable with it. Not because of the sound or "6/4 appropriateness" reasons, but enough other things added up that I wanted to cut out sooner than later. I'm glad I tried it for a while, definitely a nice tuba. Just not for me.

YBB-621. One month. I was curious and it only took me a month to satisfy that curiosity.

Saw an ad in a local musical society newsletter (remember newsletters) one morning from a fellow who was looking to purchase a tuba. He played banjo in one of those funny bands. He said his group needed the tuba sound and he wanted pretty much any four valve tuba.

Later that afternoon I was pawn shopping and came across an old "Karl Ziess Master Modell" for $350. It had a crushed bell and was all brown with tarnish. The valves moved okay and all the slides were pretty good. It had a cheap gig bag and a bach 18 mouthpiece.

I bought it. I took it to a local music store that had a good shop. I asked how long it would take to make it look and work better; you know, clean it up, fix the bell, service it good. It happened that they were about to start a really big order for a university and everything would take about two weeks to get to once it was started. They had waited until everything for individuals was pretty well caught up. But the old guy in charge said he could do it that day if I had the money ready to go. I did.

So he did a bath of bright dip and something to clean up the junk inside. He rolled out the bell so that it looked very good (to me, at least). He took out some big dents in the outer, big tubes. He then put it back together and made the valves and slide work nice and free and fast. I spent about $400 for this stuff to be done and had the horn at 10:00 a.m. the next morning.

I sold it to the guy from the newsletter an hour later for $2500.

I had owned it for about 24 hours total and had made $1750 profit. I almost kept it, though. It was a really nice tuba.

One month. I was given a 1927 Holton BBb Sousaphone, which played really very nicely. It need the slides unstuck and few other very minor things done to it. I'm an Eb player so I traded it for a 1921 Holton Eb Helicon.

YCB621

Had it for about three weeks when an offer for a trade came in that I could not refuse. Nor do I miss it. I bought it originally in a downsizing operation, both in terms of size because of a bad back and in terms of finances.

bloke wrote:

cktuba wrote:I owned one of the same models that Bloke was speaking of for 6 months or so. I traded an HB1P for that model and a model 45S F tuba. The 45S F was a very nice tuba. I sold the CC for the same reasons as Bloke. It had a great sound and projected like crazy... but it was tough to play at softer dynamics. It did do better with the mouthpiece that came with the horn a JK made SH II type mouthpiece with a Kaiser shank. But it was still dicey. The risk reward ratio was just out of whack.

I believe (as do others) that the Thor, Tuono and B&S 605 are based on this model. But they must have figured out what was causing the intonation issues... I think part of it was the ridiculously large lead pipe and receiver (but that's just my opinion). They still project like crazy and while they are much easier to play softly... your chops really need to be in order to do that effectively (again, just my opinion).

I also owned a 5 valve (4 top action) York tuba with a similar affliction... that I turned around fairly quickly. it had a FANTASTIC sound, but also a few really terrible intonation quirks. It's funny what you can convince yourself that you can "lip" into place and adjust to... until you have to live with it every day...

You're thinking that I was referring to a 1255R. I was not. I kept that instrument for a year or more. I was referring to a small 4-piston front-action instrument made on a different continent.

Yamaha 621 C tuba?

Yes, we all leave footprints, don't we Joe? it took me a while longer to come to the same conclusion. i'm not as smart as bloke, though.