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Hello guys! I need a unique tuba for everything ... teaching, playing the quintet and doing freelance in medium-sized orchestras. Can someone compare these tubas, please ... thank you.

You're choosing between a CC rotary tuba and a BBb piston tuba.
So buy the BBb 91B in yellow brass. Very nimble

But Bb's is where it's at!

Ah

I actually had a very fine 188 from the late 80s that I traded for a 1291. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. The intonation and characteristic sound of the 188 were just incredible. But the 188 is known for having a tighter low end that fights you if you push too far. Works very well in most situations. (I'm not gonna lie, I miss this horn)

The 1291 I have has a very powerful low end and can definitely get louder than the 188 before break up. The intonation is more in line with common CC tubas (flat 5th partial, 3rd partial sags slightly). Sounds can be kinda bland. This can be adjusted by changing the leadpipe. Nice horn, big sound, might be a bit much with a quintet or smaller ensemble. Works fine in medium orchestra or large concert band.

Like Billy, I have also owned both tubas, and have pretty much the same thoughts. The 188 also has the benefit of great ergonomics... super easy to hold!

If it were me, I would pick the 188.

Billy M. hit the nail on the head, really. I was able to play on both of these horns side by side for quite a while, as I owned a 188 and another guy in our studio had a 1291. It's definitely MUCH easier to overblow the 188 and get that nasty, brassy sound (but not as easy as the ABOMINABLE 186 -- BLEH!!!) What I found was that I preferred his 1291 for large ensemble playing, but preferred my 188 for quintet and solos (before I got my F.) If I were given a choice between ONLY THESE TWO HORNS to pick a single horn for doing everything, I would pick the 188 (even though it is a rotary, and I GREATLY prefer piston valves to rotary valves.) It is much better suited to playing solo and small ensemble material, and can still hold its own in band/orchestra playing reasonably well. The 1291 is substantially better as a band/orchestra horn, but just isn't very well suited to solos/quintet, IMO. Plus, I believe that in the past used 188s have sold for substantially less than used 1291s.