What models of tubas do YOU like ?

[rodgeman]

I have owned two Mirafone 186s and a Conn 20J. I do like them. I have also played tested a King 2341, a Nirschel (not the hand made one) BBb, and a Jupiter 3/4 BBb that I liked.

[SousaWarrior9]

Here's my top 5 for contrabass tubas:

BBb
Martin mammoth
King rotary (large bore)
Conn 20J
York 33
King 1241/2341
(honorable mention to the Benson comp BBb)

CC
B&S Mr. P
Stofer-Getzen
Wessex York copy
Kalison DS
Meinl Weston 4/4

I don't have enough experience on bass tubas to rank any.

[arpthark]

Old Alexanders that play in tune (read: most Fs and BBbs, few CCs).

More broadly, pre-1980s German/Czech rotary valve horns.

[Heavy_Metal]

Depends on what and where I'm playing. For example, my Alex gets the most use- in our band with two other Alexanders, it's hard to tell where my sound ends and Mark's and Jim's begin.

If I'm playing in a room with a low ceiling or other weird acoustics, I'll use the Marzan with its bi-radial bell (thanks Rick Denney for his explanation of this).
If there is no acoustical shell, as on Fourth of July where our band rides a flatbed truck, the 20J with its forward bell is perfect.

[AndyCat]

I can only talk compensators with any proper experience:

EEb:
Besson 981
Early 982
Yamaha Maestro and Neo

Avoid/check any later Besson, you know within 10 minutes whether a dud or not!

BBb:
Anything pre 1990 should be ok (New Standard/Imperial/992)
994 - Some are ok, some not
Yamaha Neo - great, previous model, not so
Both Willson and Hirsbrunner do good, but heavy and expensive, comnp BBb's

Avoid: Besson 994GS BBb's. ANY 992 or Imperial is better.

[EMC]

Probably an unpopular opinion but I feel like Cerveny tubas are quite underrated specifically thier F tubas (especially the concordia) and their Kaiser BBb tubas the 696 or 601 models, and of course most people like the piggy.

[pjv]

Agreed. I feel Cerveny works against themselves by being inconsistent with quality but also by having so many different models on the market that the consumer has no idea what's what.
Also like many tuba's they are not always easy to find.

[Bnich93]

Miraphone:
Petroushka
Hagen 496
Seigfried

Meinl Weston
Ursus

Willson
The piston Eb whatever its called

Hirsbrunner
My HB50 (It's a very fine example).

[greenbean]

I have cycled through a dozen or so horns in the past few years. And I have settled on three that I REALLY like.

VMI/B&S 3301 BBb
VMI/B&S 3103 BBb
Mirafone 182 BBb

Why own three BBb tubas? Because I can!

[Three Valves]

I like whatever model tuba the Dillon 1795 was based/cloned from.

Miraphone 184 maybe??

Not small, but lightweight.

Four rotors, BBb.

[Mark E. Chachich]

my answer:

Alexander 163 (CC)

why:
I can play it in tune
it allows me to put the pitch where I want it, I also played string bass for professionally and I know where I want the pitch
It has a wide range of tonal colors
It works in an orchestra, band, quintet, jazz group, etc.
I am used to playing this tuba (44 years)
I made more money using this tuba then any other instrument that I have owned

best,
Mark

[Tommckamey]

I’m not a professional, just a wannabe amateur, but have been playing for a long time by now, and have played a lot of horns, in BBb Eb and F. The one horn which sticks out in my memory as the best was an old Besson 3+1 compensating BBb, with a 16 1/2" bell, probably a 792, made mid to late 1960s. The horn was a school owned instrument at Indiana University, where I played sousaphone in the Marching Hundred fall semesters, and this Besson horn in Brass Band in the spring semester. It was very heavy and awkward with a really long stretch between the bottom now and the lead-pipe. But in spite of it's ergonomic issues, it was a player! Articulation was much easier on this horn. I seemed to be able to play cleanly, and with relative ease, passages which had always elluded me, or had at least been very difficult and garbled on the other horns I had played. I saw one of these horns, I pristine condition come up for sale on eBay last Summer, and am still kicking myself that I didn't get it. Horns I own include: 2 sousaphones (Reynolds Contempora and a big Conn 20K both from the 1950's). Everyone seems to want the Conns, but I prefer the Reynolds for intonation and articulation. A M&W 2141 Eb (modern era) a Miraphone TU-186 from the 1970's and a Boosey and Hawkes 3 valve compensating horn from the ~ 1980 which was a close as could come to that old Besson I missed.

[Alex C]

I'll add the education I got from Charlie Krause right after he left WWBW. BBb tubas outsell all the other key tubas combined. Charlie never said anything concisely, bless his heart, but that is what he meant. His credentials? He sold $9 million in tubas his last year at WWBW.

(OK, it was Charlie so it was probably a little less than $9 million... but not by much!)