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I am considering this model: https://www.dillonmusic.com/dillon-musi ... -tuba.html" target="_blank

I am wondering if anyone else owned or had experience with this exact horn\model. Thanks for any feedback

That's a Chinese 1291 clone. As far as I remember, they play quite similar to the Miraphone 1291. I think in their early days, Wessex may have had one as a part of their lineup. Maybe one of them will chime in. If you like the Miraphone 1291 you'll probably like that horn, but you might have to deal with some build quality issues.

Honestly, if you are looking at that price point, I would consider looking for a used horn instead. Might not be able to get as big of a bore, but there are plenty of good used horns around, and it will hold value better than buying that horn.

Dan Schultz has a blog post on his website detailing a hands-on comparison of a real 1291 and a Jin Bao clone... I’d read that if I were you.

I played a real 1291 next to the Dillon (Jin Bao) Clone a couple of months ago. The biggest difference I felt was in the valves. The Dillon (Jin Bao) felt cheesy by comparison.

I have one. In my opinion, it is a very good tuba. I selected it at Dillon's after trying all their BBb's and narrowing it down to a VMI and this one, and kept coming back to this. Especially at this price. It is a lot of tuba for the price. I personally like large bore piston tubas and I love the feel of this instrument. The valves are very fast, and the slides are all aligned. I bought it and drove away without Matt doing his tweaking thing. I play it a little on the sharp side, but it is pretty consistent throughout the overtones, and I usually pull the first slide for the Eb one ledger line below the staff, but that could be me -- I tend to do that on this partial on all the tubas I have played on. I have taken to using one sousa bit to bring the pitch down, but, again, that is probably me.

This horn plays very responsively, and by that I mean a little input makes a lot if output. The sound projects well, and I used this in a brass band setting without problem. It sounds more "broad" than edgy, which is my preference for tuba sound. All in all, if you get a chance to try this tuba, and you like the feel and sound of it, you would be very hard pressed to find this much tuba for this price.

I have experience with the King 2341 (old style -- nice and reliable, but not exciting), Mira 1291 (about 12 years ago -- I traded it in for an EEb tuba and was happy about it), Mira 186 (not my cup of tea), Wessex Viverna (very similar but heavier and more resistant, at least for me), the Mack 210 (another nice instrument, but not as big in feel or sound), and countless beat up Yamaha, Jupiter and Conn BBb's in my shop. I am happy I bought this tuba and won't be looking for another BBb.

Thanks for the info. How long ago did you purchase? I ask because some of the older ones had valve issues. What is the tweaking Matt does that you mentioned? Also, how is the low bbb with all five valves down? In tune?

DCottrell wrote:I have one. In my opinion, it is a very good tuba. I selected it at Dillon's after trying all their BBb's and narrowing it down to a VMI and this one, and kept coming back to this. Especially at this price. It is a lot of tuba for the price. I personally like large bore piston tubas and I love the feel of this instrument. The valves are very fast, and the slides are all aligned. I bought it and drove away without Matt doing his tweaking thing. I play it a little on the sharp side, but it is pretty consistent throughout the overtones, and I usually pull the first slide for the Eb one ledger line below the staff, but that could be me -- I tend to do that on this partial on all the tubas I have played on. I have taken to using one sousa bit to bring the pitch down, but, again, that is probably me.

This horn plays very responsively, and by that I mean a little input makes a lot if output. The sound projects well, and I used this in a brass band setting without problem. It sounds more "broad" than edgy, which is my preference for tuba sound. All in all, if you get a chance to try this tuba, and you like the feel and sound of it, you would be very hard pressed to find this much tuba for this price.

I have experience with the King 2341 (old style -- nice and reliable, but not exciting), Mira 1291 (about 12 years ago -- I traded it in for an EEb tuba and was happy about it), Mira 186 (not my cup of tea), Wessex Viverna (very similar but heavier and more resistant, at least for me), the Mack 210 (another nice instrument, but not as big in feel or sound), and countless beat up Yamaha, Jupiter and Conn BBb's in my shop. I am happy I bought this tuba and won't be looking for another BBb.