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Hi all. I posted in the seeking section but I figured I'd post here too. I was wondering what instruments you would suggest for a college freshman who is looking for a professional quality cc or eb horn for under $5000? I've looked at the Mack Brass 410 (Miraphone copy) cc, the Jupiter 584 and 1284 cc, the Wessex "Gnagey" eb, and a St Petersburg Eb tuba (not sure on model but here's the link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/171795211052?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT" target="_blank" target="_blank). I was wondering which of the horns listed is recommended (in your opinion) and if there are any more horns that you can think of that would be a good fit for a broke college kid . Thanks, AP.

"Don't waste the money on an over-priced CC, buy a BBb. They're cheaper and better and no one needs a CC tuba, anyways."

"Don't buy a tuba, find one from your school that you can borrow and work to save up money for a good horn"

"Just by X model horn because that's the best bang for your buck."

"Don't buy X model, it's junk. Buy Y or Z, instead."

"Trust your teacher's recommendation and ignore everyone here on TubeNet."

etc., etc., etc.

These are the kinds of responses you're going to find throughout the forum to these questions. My opinion... all of those. Play as much as you can get your hands on and buy what most makes you happy now for as little of your budget as you can make possible. Or, buy the cheapest serviceable horn you can and save up for something you'll like better after you have started to accumulate some funds within the profession. It's your money and your happiness... A new Mack 410 starts at $1895. That's well below your budget. You can find used horns in the For Sale section (in fact, just about all of those models) if you want to save some money in the long run and buy something that won't lose a lot of value when you go to sell it (as a new horn does).

Do what's best for you and seek guidance from your teacher and colleagues that know your sound and you. "Ignore everyone here on TubeNet;" we don't know you and either have a horn to sell or have no horse in the race and will just give you what we have/wish we had.

Best of luck on your search.

"Play as much as you can get your hands on..."--Probably the best advice ever given. Go for a road trip to Baltimore Brass, go play anything that Matt Walters has up in NJ at Dillon's, etc... Take stuff you are comfortable playing (etudes, solos, excerpts,...whatever) and if you can, take someone who's musical opinion you trust to listen from across the room, because it's a balance of how it feels to you and how it sounds out from under the horn. Don't be afraid to walk away if it just doesn't feel/sound right. As a student, your skills/abilities/tastes will likely change more now than at any other time of your life...no shame in using the school's horn until you make up your mind what you want and how much you want to pay for it.

Thanks for the advice guys! I will try to make a road trip down to Baltimore Brass and Dillon. My teacher is going to Midwest this Friday (unfortunately I can't make it ) and he said he'll check out the new Jupiter model tubas (584, 1284) and some of what Baltimore Brass has to offer and see what he thinks. He has made it clear to me that it doesn't matter what him, Pat Sheridan, or the guy on the street thinks, when it comes down to it, it's my call.

AP

While I agree with people who say that you should try out many tuba's, that advice isn't always helpful when you've had limited time playing and limited experience playing horns. Sight unseen, I'd happily own a miraphone CC clone from one of the east coast retailers (Dillon's, Baltimore Brass, or Mack Brass). You can play that horn for a few years and then you'll be able to decide what else you need from a horn, if anything. Maybe you'll decide you want a BBb or an Eb, maybe you'll decide that you want to play trombone, but you can spend half of your money on a horn that will give most people enough tuba to learn how to play. I was on the fence a few years back about what tuba to buy for a long term road gig and the Miraphone clone that Matt at Dillon's had done his magic on came in a close second to the horn I chose, and it was half the price. I can't think of a good reason to own an Eb exclusively when you begin school, although I can certainly think of good reasons to play one exclusively as a professional. I wish you good luck in your search.

For about $5,000, you should be able to pick up a good used Mirafone 188, or a PT6 B&S, Gronitz PCM, Alex 163 or a number of other excellent instruments. Keep looking and ask everybody you know.

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