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I’m in search of a nice (most likely used at my price range) BBb horn with four piston valves for under about $2300. Preferably closer to the $1900 or $2000 range. A horn similar to a Mack 210 with piston valves would be amazing! I’m located in the northern Kentucky area and am open to both driving a within about 2-2.5 hours to pick it up, and shipping the horn if need be. I don’t care so much about aesthetics as long as the horn is sturdily constructed and operates as it should. I want to be able to play college band music with it (I’m not a music major though). If interested in contacting me: coltonsosbe@gmail.com" target="_blank
Thanks!

Oh, come on!!! Your post is like a girl asking for a tall dark handsome man for a boyfriend. You gotta give us some criteria: BBb or CC, and in addition to your budget, your expected repertoire, what condition you will assume for such a low asking price, what you are willing to do for delivery, whether pick-up for what miles radius or $$$ for shipping.

With the bare minimum you have posted, you are better off surfing the Chinese tuba sites, if you want new, which do have quality, starting with Wessex, Mack, Jim Laabs, Dillon Music store brand, Tuba Exchange store brand, etc., or if you want used, all of the established TNFJ members of this forum who may have an instrument, bloke, tubatinker, all the others, if they actually want to deal with you and you are not a troll.

I don't mean to be harsh, but you have some reality check to do while you wake up and smell the coffee. Merry Christmas.

iiipopes wrote:Oh, come on!!! Your post is like a girl asking for a tall dark handsome man for a boyfriend. You gotta give us some criteria: BBb or CC, and in addition to your budget, your expected repertoire, what condition you will assume for such a low asking price, what you are willing to do for delivery, whether pick-up for what miles radius or $$$ for shipping.

With the bare minimum you have posted, you are better off surfing the Chinese tuba sites, if you want new, which do have quality, starting with Wessex, Mack, Jim Laabs, Dillon Music store brand, Tuba Exchange store brand, etc., or if you want used, all of the established TNFJ members of this forum who may have an instrument, bloke, tubatinker, all the others, if they actually want to deal with you and you are not a troll.

I don't mean to be harsh, but you have some reality check to do while you wake up and smell the coffee. Merry Christmas.

I apologize, I’m new around these parts. I’ve edited the post to make it a little more specific. Thank you for the honest feedback.

Tuba Sauce wrote:

iiipopes wrote:Oh, come on!!! Your post is like a girl asking for a tall dark handsome man for a boyfriend. You gotta give us some criteria: BBb or CC, and in addition to your budget, your expected repertoire, what condition you will assume for such a low asking price, what you are willing to do for delivery, whether pick-up for what miles radius or $$$ for shipping.

With the bare minimum you have posted, you are better off surfing the Chinese tuba sites, if you want new, which do have quality, starting with Wessex, Mack, Jim Laabs, Dillon Music store brand, Tuba Exchange store brand, etc., or if you want used, all of the established TNFJ members of this forum who may have an instrument, bloke, tubatinker, all the others, if they actually want to deal with you and you are not a troll.

I don't mean to be harsh, but you have some reality check to do while you wake up and smell the coffee. Merry Christmas.

I apologize, I’m new around these parts. I’ve edited the post to make it a little more specific. Thank you for the honest feedback.

You are most welcome. We come across with an edge at times, but we are only trying to clarify. Thanks for clarifying your post.

It's not in your budget, but I have a 5 valve, 4 piston 1 rotor, VMI BBb tuba for $4000. If you can come up with the extra cash, I'd recommend this. It's German, so you won't have to worry about quality, and it plays great.

If you can't (and I TOTALLY understand!) I'd try to find a used King 2341. Maybe in the old style with the detachable bell, but they play great.

Sousaswag wrote:It's not in your budget, but I have a 5 valve, 4 piston 1 rotor, VMI BBb tuba for $4000. If you can come up with the extra cash, I'd recommend this. It's German, so you won't have to worry about quality, and it plays great.

If you can't (and I TOTALLY understand!) I'd try to find a used King 2341. Maybe in the old style with the detachable bell, but they play great.

I’d love to look into your VMI, but it’s just too far our of my budget sadly. With the 2341’s, how is the low range in your experience and what mouthpiece did you use?

Tuba Sauce wrote:

Sousaswag wrote:It's not in your budget, but I have a 5 valve, 4 piston 1 rotor, VMI BBb tuba for $4000. If you can come up with the extra cash, I'd recommend this. It's German, so you won't have to worry about quality, and it plays great.

If you can't (and I TOTALLY understand!) I'd try to find a used King 2341. Maybe in the old style with the detachable bell, but they play great.

I’d love to look into your VMI, but it’s just too far our of my budget sadly. With the 2341’s, how is the low range in your experience and what mouthpiece did you use?

I have played King tubas since I was a freshman in high school, on-and-off, depending on what was available in the school, college, or community band I was in. Generally:
1) King tubas are great tubas. Period.
2) The design protects the valve block to an extent
3) The overall tone and intonation is superlative, although the 6th partials (4th line f) can be a little sharp
4) Low range is great, assuming you keep the horn clean and the valve corks and felts aligned.
5) Mouthpiece insensitive. Just about anything reasonable will play it just fine.
6) Because basically the same instrument has been made for a century, albeit with some design changes in the bugle, the wrap, and various bell configurations over the years, in case an accident does happen, any shop worth its tools should have "crash parts" in their morgue to keep repair costs under control.

Downside:
1) If the valves are out of alignment from worn corks and felts, it will get grainy and lose intonation.
2) If water gets caught up in the valve slides, the player has to master the "King Spin," rotating the horn just right to empty the water out of the short-return-crook valve slides.

I like to use my MRP 4.8 with contrabass tubas. In general Kings are pretty good. The new ones have some quality control issues and are under-braced (imo) so you would need to be a bit nice to it. The only real downside is no 5th valve. I just like to have a 5th valve. The only experience I've had with an older model at a Tuba Christmas was good. I didn't have anything bad to say about it besides complaining about no fifth valve!

Thank you all for the info!

I have a Besson compensating 4v BBb for sale.

Heliconer wrote:I have a Besson compensating 4v BBb for sale.

PM sent

I totally randomly found a post of great interest to you:

Olds O98 4 valve 5/4 BBb

PM’d you