pt-18's: thoughts?

[Carnival of Venice]

can anyone give me their views on the pt-18? I've heard so many from its one of the best piston f's to it's the worst tuba they've ever played. The opinions I've heard are balanced so I'm still confused.

some people have told me this works better as a solo instrument. is it meant for solo or can you still play the needed excerpts for an audition? Another thing I heard was mouthpiece choice. One said that if you're not using a pt mouthpiece with it, it'll sound bad.

if anyone has ever had any experience on it, auditioning with it or using it professionally, I would be happy if you left your thoughts. I have a rotor f but have always enjoyed the feel of pistons so I was thinking about switching to a piston f tuba of the same caliber and I am aware that pt's have been winning jobs so I tried the line of f's and enjoyed the pt18 I tried. I just want some more background.

Thanks

[DouglasJB]

I tried one just a few moments after trying a 56AFT, to me the horn did not catch my interest, i mention the 56 because i really liked that horn, maybe if i tried the 18 on a different day i might have thought differently.

[Carnival of Venice]

is it safe to say that these are either a hit or miss?

of course, if I get it, I plan to add the maw valves, the pvak and the sellmansberger supplies but I was wondering about the pt18 itself.

Thanks for the feedback though! If anyone has more, join in!