Student level tuba recommendation

[Kleintuba]

A friend of mine is band director at a local private high school. She has an incoming student whose family wants to buy him a tuba for about $2000. She asked for a recommendation. I have plenty of opinions about artist-level instruments, some of which are probably valid, but I have no idea about this type of instrument. Any suggestions?

[jperry1466]

I have a private tuba student who came to me with a BBb tuba made by Jinbao that he bought on ebay. It is the same instrument that Mack Brass sells as the 210L. I was very surprised how well it plays and how solidly it was built. I don't think you can go wrong with it. It is a big bore .775, so if your student is smaller the 200L with the .750 bore might be a good option. Both are less than $2,000. By the way, the private student is now an all-state player.

[Three Valves]

Even if I wasn’t a Mack Brass Artiste I’d still toot their praises.

[Cdub]

I'm very pleased with my Mack Brass 410gb. If they give Tom a call, he'll get them a good matching horn in that price range. The other options would be to look at used tubas.

[NCSUSousa]

I'll agree with the previous posts here. Call Tom McGrady (Mack Brass) or visit his website.
He posts here semi-regularly too - username mctuba1 memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=806. His phone number is in his signature.

All three of his full size tubas in that price range are excellent.
The 200 is a great beginner instrument - very similar to the east german made tuba I played all the way through college.
The 210 is bigger where it counts, but shorter height.
The 410 is a very good CC by all accounts, but I don't play CC so I can't speak to that one. Others here can attest that it's worth buying and using as a do-it-all tuba, possibly even as good as the german made tuba that it's based on.

If I am ever interested in another brand new ~$2000 instrument, that's where I'll start and probably where I'll stop (context - I live 10 miles from The Tuba Exchange in Durham, NC).

He's in Petersburg, Virginia if you're willing to make the drive instead of trusting a shipping company.

[toobagrowl]

The Mack 200 and 210 are both 4/4 4rv BBb tubas. Both are copies of good, proven German and Swiss designs. The Mack 200 is a copy of the old B&S 'Sonora' BBb; the Mack 210 a copy of the old Hirsbrunner BBb. I'd say the 200 has a more focused, darker sound than the 210. IMO, both are really good all-around BBb tubas for most types of ensemble playing, and especially fitting for high school and college Those are about the best option for good, new BBb tubas for $2000 or less. There are a few more options in that price range if you include used, decent BBb tubas