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MW2000 is maybe 10 years old but pristine

Doesn't the "2000" in MW2000 refer to the year in which they were first introduced? how can it be 10 years old if this is truth? it would only be 5 yrs at max. Other than that, the MW2000 is a great horn, very open and in tune. great sound too. i love that horn, if only i had the money...

phoenix wrote:

MW2000 is maybe 10 years old but pristine

Doesn't the "2000" in MW2000 refer to the year in which they were first introduced? how can it be 10 years old if this is truth? it would only be 5 yrs at max. Other than that, the MW2000 is a great horn, very open and in tune. great sound too. i love that horn, if only i had the money...

You are correct. The M-W 2000 was introduced for the new millenium (actually the end of the last one, but don't get started). The most it can be is 5 years old.

I know I don't like it when people tell me to check the archives... but this is a case that I know there are lots of posts on from me over the last 2 or 3 years. Might be worth a look.

Before I bought my meinl weston 2000 I had narrowed the search down to a pt6, a 1291 and the 2000. I had initially gone in search of a 6/4 but those were the horns that I liked playing the best. I know my tuba professor wasn't overly happy with me when i came walking in the door with the 2000 I chose, but after a few minutes he got over it when he saw it was a great tuba. I was able to justify keeping it because it was easier to play than my 186 and the sound was closer to my concept. I doubt this will be the last tuba I ever buy and I still have the 186 sitting in my closet, but I will say I am happier than ever with the 2000. At times I wish it were bigger, but the bigger tubas don't respond as well (at least to me they didn't by comparison). This tuba has been good for me and I expect to use it hard until I win (hopefully someday) a full time job in an orchestra large enough to actually need a 6/4 tuba. That and many of the guys that have recently won jobs as well as many of the guys on the circuit use a 5/4 instead of a 6/4 (of course not all).

As far as the 2000 holding it's own... I have done brahms 2 and carmina burana on it with the Chicago College of the Performing Arts, which has a huge orchestra, and had no issues being able to balance with the "large 4/4"

email me if you want more info

Jim

oh yeah one more thing... I see you're a highschool student. Unless your 1000000% sure you're gonna stick with the tuba, you might consider getting something a bit less expensive at the moment because you're looking at putting down 8-12 grand and that's a lot to try to recoup your expenses on if it becomes a hobby when you realize it's really hard making it as a musician much less a tuba player

I didn't get the 2000 until I got to graduate school... I used the 186 as an intermediate horn.

Josh07 wrote:PS--I've ruled out Willson

If you'd be willing to re-consider a Willson purchase:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 23964&rd=1

The auction's closed, but you might be able to contact the seller directly. I just bought one of these horns from Dave Fedderly (Paul Krzywicki's stage tuba) for $8900. If this seller would take $6900, that'd be a great price. Very rare horns, and I'd guess there are less than a half-dozen in the states.

The ergonomics take some getting used to, and I'm actually going to have some of the layout on my horn "re-jiggered". Worth the effort, though.

The reason I'm posting this info? I bought a nice rotary PT-6 from Bob Tucci back in '94 and played it for seven years. While it was a very nice horn, it wasn't in the same league as this Willson. Since you mentioned getting a PT-6, I thought this might also be something you'd like to consider. By all accounts, the rotary 3050 is a better axe than the piston version.

I don't have any time on the MW2000 (introduced in 1999, according to my Meinl brochure), but as for the PT-6 vs. Willson issue, it'd be no contest. I believe the horn I posted the link to is in your neck of the woods.

As for the "you're still in high school" issue, I've never sold a good instrument for less than I've paid for it. If you take care of the horn, even if you decide to sell it and move on, you should be able to recoup most, if not all, of your investment. In essence, a free rental.

As always, your mileage may vary. Just some extra info to consider...

...Dave

Make sure you know why you like the models you like...have you played them? Are they readily available in your area? Are the prices appropirate? Have you actually tried all of the makes you've "ruled out?" Do you really sound better on the $14,000 MW-2000 than you do on the sub-$5,000 Miraphone 186?