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The Miraphone 1291 might suit your purposes better than the Conn. Do an archive search on the comments on that horn.

I played a Conn 56J back in January that was very unimpressive. The bore size on their instruments is too small for all the twists and goofiness in the tubing. I like many instruments Conn makes, but not tubas.

I've said it once and I'll say it again. People who bash the 5XJ's haven't played a good one yet. Because if you get a hold of a good one you will NOT be disappointed. Yes, they vary from horn to horn but if you can try out a few you're bound to get a good one and they are very much worth it. The 1291 is a good one also but I'm kinda partial to the Conn because I was lucky enough to play one for 3 years and I loved every minute of it. Good luck with your search!!




Ralph

I haven't liked the 5XJ horns b/c I got a chance to play the original that Matt Walters designed. It spoiled the production horns for me; it's an amazing instrument that I would gladly sever a nominally important body part to own, and it's the tuba that made me decide that if I ever came across a million dollars I'd have Matt build me a stable of instruments pronto.

I'm quite happy with my 56J. The satin silver finish takes a little more work, but it also looks nice. I benefitted from being the 2nd owner, however, as the 1st owner was very picky and very patient, and selected a good specimin. Prof. Melissa Williams (Butler U., Indianapolis) plays the same model and had the pick of the factory when she selected it. She advises mine is equal to her horn. (Thanks, Andy.)

I cannot speak about current quality control and/or variation between horn, however, as I did not go through the selection process myself. But, there are good one available.

HeliconMan wrote:One thing I heard from Lee Stofer is that these horns have no bell rim wire and can be a bit spineless if left on their bell. There definately will be variations in quality, but that is true with every horn except for one-off horns.

I always sit mine on the bell and have had no problems doing so. I suspect any horn can take a tumble if left in this situation, and someone inadvertently bumps into it. I was much more nervous in this regard with my previous CC -- a 16.5" bell Miraphone 186.

Cheers,