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Are there any good Chinese Piston F’s out there currently? I’m in the market and I don’t particularly like the rotary valve models available now.

Wessex is finishing their's up right now, may be worth waiting to see how it turns out.

Big Mouth Brass too...
Eastman shortly..

I wouldn't call the BMB F "good," though; it's GREAT!

I think you would be much better off buying a used German horn but I dont know anything. Just the quality if the metal alone; this is a pro investment right, not a step up horn?

bloke wrote: > I've witnessed a customer-owned/bought-elsewhere $5XXX China-made C tuba that I expected to feature stainless steel pistons, but which featured raw nickel silver pistons

There's a thread concerning that observation. For readers who might be interested in metallurgy and classification of materials by appearance, it might be interesting enough to be worth digging up via a site search.

Scubatuba wrote:I think you would be much better off buying a used German horn but I dont know anything. Just the quality if the metal alone; this is a pro investment right, not a step up horn?

We have sold over nine thousand instruments in almost nine years and have never had a complaint or issue with the metal or materials used. Yes, we have sold to many pros, colleges, and public schools as well as individuals at all levels. I myself play many models from the manufacturers we buy from and currently have put away a nice 6/4 from ZO that i wont be selling. The only reason i play a PT8 and not one of the F tubas modeled after the PT15 is the difference in sound, not the metal, valves, or materials that make it. Take a look at the valves that make the PT6 rotary and the new Alex 163 and compare them with the valves on the Mack TU410 CC tuba (miraclone), they are interchangeable. Not saying the PT6 valves ir New Alex 163 valves are made in China, but its an interesting comparison.

thegreatrodinkis wrote:Are there any good Chinese Piston F’s out there currently? I’m in the market and I don’t particularly like the rotary valve models available now.

In 2013, I was a student at a very good music school with a very good tuba studio. At the time, a classmate of mine, who was a grad student majoring in tuba performance at this school, who was/is in my opinion a brilliant musician and player, sold his (older) Miraphone rotary-valve F tuba (I can't remember what model), and bought a Big Mouth Brass piston F tuba. (The main reason being that the Big Mouth Brass F tuba had a more open low range than the Miraphone). He played on the Big Mouth Brass F tuba the remainder of the school year, and our chamber group actually won 1st place at ITEC in 2014, with him playing on that instrument.

I don't "officially" or "professionally" endorse any particular instruments (and I never will), I just bring honesty to my input; I feel like, if that instrument is good enough for him (and good enough for 1st place at ITEC), it's good enough for anybody.

(I was going to try to keep it as anonymous as possible, but decided that would perhaps look questionable. Just look up ITEC 2014 results, my name is Michael Murrin, our group won 1st place that year in the Small Ensemble Competition. It was an all-tuba group, all F tubas, our instruments were: Miraphone Bel Canto, Yamaha 822S F Tuba, Big Mouth Brass F tuba, Meinl Weston 2250NP F tuba).

Bloke says...

...and no, I won't be putting any more of these together. My curiosity has been satisfied.

Again, he hits us with, look at what awesomeness can be... but you'll never have....

bloke wrote:

Scubatuba wrote:To date, I've not found a better F instrument than the one (rotary, and - though I consider it large - not considered "large" by some) I bought new 37 years ago...and yes, I have vigorously searched.

Interesting comment all around but this one caught my attention. I regret selling mine (same brand I think) but at the time I was certain I would not be in music again.