TubeNet

Disclaimer: I am posting this question for a friend of mine who is interested in a travel tuba, and I could see the frustration resulting from this as it seems like a question that has an obvious answer that's not what I'm looking for, but here it is anyways:


A friend of mine who plays BBb tuba was interested in getting a travel tuba because
1) They are affordable, and the instrument he has that he is renting is half tuba half scrap metal
2) He wants something portable that he can travel with easily
3) There are few rental services that offer quality tubas for good prices, and if the rentals have problems (the MTS on his is frozen) it's a hassle to get the company to fix them, so he wants to own his own instrument that he can work on as needed

My concerns were that it would be stuffy because of the tight bugle wraps, and unless he got one above his price point ($1,500-2,000) it would not be the greatest quality. He is set on getting one, and I suggested that maybe (?) he get one in a different key instead of BBb like Eb of F to both learn the fingerings for one (or both?) of them, as well as not having one as stuffy as one in BBb or CC (although I have not played on a travel tuba, so I am not sure if or how much to an extent this stuffiness would be). I am not aware of the pros/cons (intonation, ease of use, durability) of some of the prominent models and was wondering if this would be something that would fulfill this purpose or if it would just be a waste of time. If this isn't a good idea, what alternatives should be considered? I wouldn't feel comfortable giving him advice that I'm not 100% sure about, so I appreciate any responses.

Where does he/do you live? There's a really nice Weril 3/4 CC (Yamaha 621 clone) on NYC Craigslist right now. This is a REAL "travel tuba" and a steal too with nice gig bag.

FYI - I have no affiliation with this listing, I just know a tuba deal when I see one. If I didn't just buy my Eastman, I'd be all over this. https://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/msg/6018213066.html" target="_blank

I'll check it out for you for the price of 2 craft beers

Also forgot the travel tuba... unless ya know... it's for traveling

If he wants a tuba to travel with, then I would look into to the Wessex BBb Tornister as I have heard good things about those horns.

However...

They are designed for travel and are not necessarily going to be the best for everyday use, and I'm not saying that regarding their construction (I'd say the same about the MW travel F). He will not get the same robust sound as he would on a regular tuba and this certainly wouldn't hold its own in a band (maybe a quintet or something, but put it next to a tuba and I'm sure it wouldn't hold up to the volume and size of sound from the other). I will admit that I haven't played themail BBb, but this was my experience with the F and is how things tend to work; bigger tubas tend to have a bigger sound, not necessarily better, but bigger (and there are always exceptions of smaller horns with huge sounds but I doubt this would be one).

Unless he is expecting to do a lot of plane traveling or taking road trips with his family and the tuba, a travel tuba is not necessary. Not to mention that most vacations are only a week or so and being without a horn for that long isn't usually a huge problem even if you could find time on your vacation for any kind of real practice.

My recommendation would be a Mack Brass 200, which is within his budget. There is also the 210 (still in his budget) if he wishes to just get a bigger horn as he's already going full-size. I regularly throw my PCK or Kurath (or both!) Into my car for vacations as I plan practic time into our schedules (and it's just my wife and I and I can strategically fit two duffel bags and the PCK into my trunk, if need be).

I have a travel tuba in F/Eb. They are not for a large band. They can be for a small jazz group or a quintet. They do not have a large sound but they do amplify well. They are very portable and they are great for practice. a 3/4 size tuba will likely be better in community band or larger groups. They are fun to play.

opus37 wrote:I have a travel tuba in F/Eb. They are not for a large band. They can be for a small jazz group or a quintet. They do not have a large sound but they do amplify well. They are very portable and they are great for practice. a 3/4 size tuba will likely be better in community band or larger groups. They are fun to play.

Is this a Wessex?

The BBb travel tuba (Wessex Mighty Midget) is a tornister tuba - is of design previous made for the Australian-Hungarian military bands. As a result it is more open blowing than the F/Eb Bubbie travel tuba which is really designed as a practice tuba.

I would not usually use the Bubbie for concert use, but the Mighty Midget does work. I did try out using as only tuba with band of over 20 - and although I will not pretend it was as big a sound as full size tuba, it did project and provide bass. The trumpets up front could hear.

What sort of tuba to get, really depends on personal circumstances and requirements.

Hope that helps!