John Packer E flat tuba

[finnbogi]

A band mate of mine has been suffering from a back injury for some time now, to the extent that he can't march carrying his Besson 982. He has been looking into getting a smaller horn for marching and is currently looking at the smallest John Packer eefer (JP077) which also has the benefit of being quite cheap (about 1000 GBP).

Does anyone here have experience with this particular model or the John Packer E flats in general?

[Jess Haney]

The full size Eb is quite heavy compared to the Besson Ebs. Not sure about the smaller one. Wessex makes a "Bombino" Eb that is much smaller and has had favorable reviews.

[imperialbari]

Wouldn’t a small rotary Eb be the lightest option?

Klaus

[finnbogi]

The full size Eb is quite heavy compared to the Besson Ebs. Not sure about the smaller one. Wessex makes a "Bombino" Eb that is much smaller and has had favorable reviews.

Actually, according to the web page, the smallest JP077 is the same height as the Bombino but has a smaller bell (12.75" compared to 15"). The Bombino is probably also heavier, as it is compensating and has a fourth valve - and it costs more than twice as much as the JP077.