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I’m thinking about buying an F tuba in the near future, but I’m not trying to break the bank. I’ve read and heard good things about the Wessex Berg F tuba. I have also thought of a Mack Brass F and heard good things about the guy who sells the tubas and the tuba itself. Maybe there’s a deal on a used F tuba that I’m overlooking. Any advice or recommendations?

I got a Berg in February and absolutely love it!

I heard the low range is absolutely amazing. Can you confirm? Also what mouthpiece are you using with it?

(Ah, so that's why they call them "CC" tubas, when the note in question is just "C" in that octave notation.)

If you want to know about good deals that might be available in the used market, you should reveal your location. There's a place for that in the "User Control Panel" Profile tab.

bloke wrote:What is "great"?

If I encountered some of these that met my standards at this price, I believe I would run up one of those two-years/no-interest/no-limit cc's that I'm always being offered, and buy up a ton of them (again: $3K) for resale for as much as others would pay.

What I meant by “great” is a F tuba that doesn’t have a super stuffy low range, great intonation without a bunch of quirks, a horn that is reliable. I’m not completely sure the F tuba standard. It’ll definitely take patience watching what’s in the used markets. I’ll definitely check out any instruments coming from your direction.

JarmonIsom wrote:I heard the low range is absolutely amazing. Can you confirm? Also what mouthpiece are you using with it?

Compared to the Rudy and Alex F's that I played in college, it is much more open. Dark sound, low C and Bb barely fights. I use a PT-65 on it. The sound is very even throughout. A few intonation spots, but a lot of that was alleviated by switching from my 64S to the 65. Now it's just sharp on the C in the staff, but I can play it dead-on with 4. It is a lot of horn for the price, and I love it. Let it be known it's not a PT-15 or a Firebird, but it plays way closer to that range than a horn of this price should.

Thomann Fireball, laquered or raw brass or red brass

I have owned and sold 2 F instruments, and so far they have appreciated. So the bank is not broken. One was about 50 years old when I got it, and the other about 30 years old. I have two now, both purchased used, and that saved a lot of money too. I would recommend putting a lot of time on whatever you buy; it takes awhile to get a good grip on the horn whatever it is.

I also have tried the Berg and almost purchased it. It has similar playing characteristics with a B&S. Its a very easy playing German style tuba with no really bad notes.
Great response and intonation. I don't think I've ever played a 5-banger F that didn't need some major slide manipulation for a chromatic run through the 2nd p.
And if you don't like the horn within 2 weeks you can send it back.

Definitely try out a BMB J445. Great piston F for the price, monster low register and very even. Also minimal intonation issues compared to other F tubas.

You could call Dillon Music and ask them about the 4v Weltklang F that they have for $2500.

B&S made from back in the day. I tried one once, and I thought it was pretty OK for the price that a studio mate of mine bought it for. That's been a long time ago, so I don't remember any more about it than that.

Better yet, save up another K and grab one of these Meinl Weston 45s that show up used here from time to time.

https://www.dillonmusic.com/used-weltklang-f-tuba.html" target="_blank

Great horn for the $$!

I prefer a 6 valved F because of the ease in tuning the entire 2nd partial.

So the Wessex is the first and only 5-banger I would personally advise because the 2nd P played so well in tune. I guarantee that a stock Wessex is a press and play F that just about anyone could manage to play. If for any reason you think the horn is a lemon return it.

I found the MW 45s has too many intonation problems for my liking.

I don't know the Weltklang mentioned but I can't imagine the purpose of a 4 valved F unless you're only playing a very specific sort of music which doesn't require you to use your low register.

I would advise anyone purchasing any type of tuba for the first time not to blow their entire savings on a very expensive horn. I've preferred to spend less and learn what the it is I like and don't about a tuba. Then I sell it when I'm finished with it (and also have the funds for something else).
If possible, try as many tuba's as you can. There are many tubas out there that will romance you with their gorgeous sound, but this may not be enough to get you the job (or get called back).
Good luck.

The one that rolls my eyes is labeling fat E-flat tubas "EE-flat" and labeling skinny E-flat tubas "E-flat".

That is still VERY common amongst the older guys here in Australia. Same with Bb's. They call them Double Eb's. It's a brass band thing down here.