TubeNet

I'm a "serious hobbyist" who owns three horns: a Miraphone 191S, a Wessex "Mighty Midget," and a Besson Brevete Paris Grand Prix tuba that surprisingly plays quite well. I currently play in a wind ensemble (~50 people) and a quintet. I'd like to get into some solo work, and I'm also not ruling out applying to grad school and/or auditioning in the future. (I'm only 26.)

I'm wondering if the Miraphone, my primary horn, is too much tuba for my current playing engagements. I've been tossing the thought of purchasing a solid Eb tuba back and forth in my mind over the past few weeks. Maybe a Wilson 3400 or a YEB-632S would suffice as my new primary horn and help me get started as a tuba soloist. But I would need to sell my Miraphone to make this happen, a decision I wouldn't take lightly.

I was hoping the TubeNet community could weigh in on my situation. Given my playing engagements, would a Eb tuba carry me? Could my Miraphone not hold me back too much in my solo work? Any and all respectful thoughts are welcome.

My opinions:

The Miraphone 191 is a great tuba. If you're going to be doing a lot of large ensemble playing, then I think you'd probably want something of that size. And if you like the 191, you should probably keep it. But yes, it's probably going to be too much tuba for what you're trying to do with solo and small ensemble stuff.

A large Eb could be good in your situation, but you might find that it's too much in the middle -- not quite big enough compared to the 191, and not quite small enough for the other stuff. And when I say that, I know that realistically as tuba players, we probably all think that the 3400 is plenty big and plenty small enough... but directors, low brass sections, etc. can disagree.

My opinion -- keep the 191, sell both the Besson and Mighty Midget (what purpose are those serving?) and then buy an Eb or F tuba that will fulfill your small group and bass tuba needs. You can probably find a decent Wessex or Mack Brass F or Eb tuba for a good price around here... or save a little more and find a used MW, Miraphone, or Alexander F.

Either way, if it were me, I'd keep the 191.

Thanks for your thoughts, Bort. I was considering selling the Besson, though I might hold onto the Mighty Midget. (With the practice mute in tow, I can practice that thing literally ANYWHERE.) I think you've laid out a good plan. I'll keep the 191 and look for something else to fulfill my bass tuba needs.

Happy to help... but make sure you get and consider some other opinions as well. Don't get me wrong, the 3400 is a VERY fine tuba. But in my opinion, I'm not sure it would be the best option to do everything from large contrabass to solo. I'm not sure that there really is 1 tuba that could do all of that, anyway!

Good point. I really appreciate your insight and look forward to hearing what others have to say.

In the tuba world of today, it's difficult to use only 1 tuba to play in the various styles a tuba could be used for. I don't think you need a 6/4, but a nice 4/4 BBb and an Eb would take you far in covering most styles you would need them to. With that in mind, you should check out BMB tubas. You could get a new 4/4 BBb (J-744LQ) in lacquer for around $6000. and an new Eb (J-345LQ) for around $5000. You would have 2 brand new really fine tubas for $1100. It's just a thought, but I would consider selling all of your tubas and buying these.

Hey Bill! I've heard of BMB tubas, but I don't really know much about how they play. Would the J-744LQ play similarly to the 191?

Thanks for your advice, Bloke. Message sent.

I am by no means an expert just an old guy having fun. I had a mack brass BBb tuba I started with. I worked for awhile. I upgraded to a 191. Lots more volume lots less work. I will not sell the 191 it works real good for me. I compared the 191 to a wessex, you get what u pay for, lots of work for poor sound and really bad fit and finish. I have a MW2141 for EEb really good horn. I fell into it. I am growing into it too. These two horns will do it for me.

I don't know that I ever played a 191, but as Bloke said, it's a big tuba. I was thinking that if you won't be playing much in large ensembles and you're thinking more as a soloist, having a 4/4 size tuba would cover a lot of ground. Being that you like Eb's, I thought of BMB who makes both, at reasonable cost, for tubas. I would say the 191 probably doesn't play much like the J-744. The BMB tubas are mainly based on York designs and are piston valves, whereas the 191 has the more German sound with rotaries. They are 2 different animals, but I would think the 744 might be more versatile than the 191. I love Mirarphones and I own 2, but I also own a BMB F tuba. Get yourself to a conference and play them. The Army Band conference is next week in Arlington, VA.

Thanks for your insight, Bill. Let me see what I can do about arranging a trip to Virginia, as I'm very curious about BMB horns now.

It seems like tubas in general are a compromise. Period. Some work better for "this" situation or "that" situation... etc. As an owner of an older BBb Yamaha, I would be interested in your thoughts on the YEB-632.