A good small BBb tuba

[Art Hovey]

At the Army Tuba workshop back in February I tried out the wonderfully compact and lightweight Eastman EBB226, and I liked it. Last Friday I went to Dillon’s and bought one. The next day I ordered a gig bag from Wessex that happens to fit the tuba perfectly. On Wednesday I used the tuba on a gig with Jeff Barnhart, and on Thursday the Wessex bag arrived.

It’s an ideal small tuba for an older guy like me or for a serious middle-school kid. The body is similar to that of a YBB-103: 32” tall with a 15.5” bell. The valve section is identical to that of a King 2341.

I have not found any intonation problems, although I do wish they had made a top slide for the 4th valve. That would have been easy to do, and would be handy for low B and E. I especially like the instrument’s even response over its full range; there are no notes that fight back. It’s obviously not going to sound like a big tuba, but it’s capable of very clean and crisp sound in all registers. The 0.687” bore is significantly larger than that found on the small Yamahas, the Olds 0-99, and the Conn 5J, and that makes a world of difference. (Too small for a BAT, but perfect for a small tuba.)

http://www.eastmanwinds.com/tubas

[Bob Kolada]

Art, how do you think it compares to the Weril?

[Art Hovey]

I had a BBb Weril for a while. Too-small-bore (in my opinion) and intonation above the staff was wacky. Nice for a young kid, but not right for me. The Eastman is a little bigger, much more durable, and much more satisfying for me.