Pilafian - tuba model

[kathott]

Anyone know which model of tuba Sam P. is playing on, in this old Barbara Cook video?....circa the 8'15" mark....
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=os2EzxYHpjM" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

[Gator]

Hirsbrunner HB6

[joh_tuba]

I always hear horror stories about the slide pulling gymnastics required to play one of those. I do see some alternate fingerings, but otherwise, it doesn't look like he is working too hard. It is Sam Pilafian though.

In a former life I had one of these in m possession for a couple months.. considering trading my PT6 straight across for one. Ultimately both of us preferred our original horns.

It's been too long to remember much of anything concrete and inevitably my playing is different now so who knows what I might think of one today. At the time, I recall the intonation being pretty awful against a tuner but weirdly sounding pretty good when I put the tuner away.. lots of possible reasons that was the case but certainly was a cause for concern. The sound was much more 'open' than a PT6 which in comparison was darker and more 'covered'. The rotors were the old plastic core things...they were AMAZINGLY light and crazy fast.. loved them.. never stuck once for me.

Rumor I've heard a few times(probably vaguely truish): Alan Bear played an HB6 in Wisconsin and was told by audition committees that they didn't care for the sound. His run of success occurred when he dumped the HB6 and purchase a Gronitz PCK.