by PaulMaybery » Mon Mar 20, 2017 6:33 pm
I find the S-G to my liking in that it does help with producing what might be called a rather dark timbre. Part of this seems to be due to the relatively large cup but also a rather medium to smallish throat. I've been finding, in my situation, that the MPs with the larger throats easily get a much louder sound, but seem to lack the harmonic complexity and the warmth that I enjoy, particulary when practicing. I suppose that say a Monette 94 might have better cutting power in a large orchestra, but for playing a solo passage, the S-G probably would produce a richer sound.
So much of it also depends on how it is paired with the tuba of choice. Someone very wise mentioned to me, rather recently, that it would make sense to find a MP that really works for you, is comfortable and otherwise just perfect, and then, find a tuba that works well with it. We seem to gravitate to a certain tuba for whatever reason, and then spend years looking for the perfect MP. I've recently found, that somewhat like the S-G, the Laskey 30H has similar attributes in timbre and it also sports a relatively smaller throat. Even with the smaller throat, the sound/volume can still be achieved, but it takes some patience to let the MP tell you what it needs. My personal thoughts after 50 years of playing are that these days we seem to have glamourized the large throat MP and the bigger is better trend. It's a complicated process to find what works.
Wessex 5/4 CC "Wyvern"
Wessex 4/4 F "Berg"
Wessex Cimbasso F
Mack Euphonium
Mack Bass Trombone
Conn 5V Double Bell Euphonium (casually for sale to an interested party)