TubeNet

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?

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.

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

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.

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.

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