I'm shopping super cost effective (under $3K) 5 valve symphonic tubas, and for the money, Wessex Anton & Luzern provide bigger 5/4 sound and bigger low-end than the 186 Miraclones. 186 Miraclones are my fall-back: Mack Brass 410s are offered for as low as $1500 regularly, which, would be a great fit for my budget at the moment, if I can't find a 5/4 or 6/4.
Wessex Anton
- Great concept: Miraphone Bruckner 291 - Cerveny Piggy hybrid
- But, didn't undergo as rigorous design and testing as later lines
- intonation: several notes frequently don't slot well
- quality + durability issues
- valve issues
- never popular
- reviews about as critical as positive
- soon to be discontinued
- as noted elsewhere, confirmed recently by Wessex
Perhaps your particular Anton is among the best, plays well, and I can work around the intonation issues; an Anton could be my most cost-effective option, and I could be one of your last resorts to sell.
OR the Luzern might be a more reliable fit. I test-played one early November at the Wessex pop-up and was impressed by it and the value it provides. I also played, and was more impressed with, their Wyvern, Viverna, Chicago Presence, and Prokofiev, but, even used, those are above my current budget.
OR if you have or know of a 5/4 or 6/4 BBb or CC 5-valve tuba which deserves to be played, and appreciated by myself and a surprisingly good NYC community orchestra and our public, please reach out in comments and/or privately!
Your beloved tuba deserves to be played well, make music, and to give the joy and appreciation that only it can! I know there are tubists who just want their tuba to get the use and appreciation it deserves, without having to go through the rigamarole of interminable sales, holding out for the best price for who-knows-how-long from who-knows-who, and ending up getting a small fraction of its value from a dealer, if it sells at all. From my research, there seems to be a bit of a glut of certain models on the market; some offers linger half a year and more. Selling a tuba can take a lot of time, effort, and knowledge. And, some great tubas which play and sound phenomenal are overlooked simply because they're out of fashion. Be assured this former Juilliard PreC & Tanglewood player would do your tuba justice, play it professionally, love it, and my entire orchestra would be appreciative. While 5/4 is the size I think would fit best, 6/4 and extra large 4/4s would work too, as long as they produce a big enough sound to support an 88 member orchestra. I'm looking in the next few months to find a replacement for the Cerveny kaiser I play now. The valves are failing and not worth investing in further repair. The best tuba possible is my mission, on an austerity budget, my challenge. This is an unexpected expense; it's been a devastating pandemic, my budget is tight, although my dreams (and sound, and heart) are big.
Please drop me a line. I'm in Manhattan.