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Having him talk with a teacher is sound advice (no pun intended). This is especially true if he has any plans of playing tuba in college or as a pro.

A very good quality and reasonably priced 4/4 Bb tuba is the VMI 2103. This is also sometimes called a VMI 103 or a F. Schmidt 2103. Same horn. About the size of a Miraphone 186 and very well made. I bought mine from WWBW for about $3k (they do vary in price depending on availability and currency fluctuations).

I have also tried a Jupiter 582 which is a very decent horn and costs about the same as the VMI. IMHO, the VMI is better made but the Jupiter can also serve his needs well.

If you do go used, used Miraphone 186s, MW 25s, and VMI 2103s (or one of their stencil variants) can be good if shopped for carefully.

There may be other horns as well but these are the two that I am personally familiar with. You may want to contact Matt at Dillon Music (NJ), www.dillonmusic.com, Dave Fedderly at Baltimore Brass (MD), www.baltimorebrass,net, or Roger Lewis at WWBW (IN), www.wwbw.com.

Good luck in your search.

If you haven't read it already, please see my post on Brass-Forum.co.uk

In addition to that post:
1) VMI is the same as and is now B&S: excellent tubas. Used by a lot of symphonies.

2) Notice the similarity of recommended brands.

I feel that the New King BBb 4 valve is the best horn for the price.
Th old style horns are not bad if you get a used one too.

Frank Ortega

I think that you are better off getting a good used horn than settling on an "off" brand new horn. Here's an example of a horn that I think is a steal for the "buy-it-now" price if it's in playable condition:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Miraphone-Model-186 ... dZViewItem

Or this one if the price doesn't go above $1500

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... %3AIT&rd=1

Of course, buying anything on eBay is subject to risk, and you don't have the opportunity to play it first, but a Mirafone 186 is a great choice for an all around tuba.

I personally have not liked any of the St. Petersburg tubas I have played, and I think that you would still be better off with a good used Meinl-Weston, Miraphone, or Cerveny (among rotary valve tubas) than a St. Pete.

Check the shops listings on this site for used tubas too.

I played a Cerveny 686 for many years. It got me from High School all the through my junior year of college. They are reasonably priced and a great all-around horn for college.

Don't rush to buy a tuba. If the primary reason is because the school doesn't provide one to keep at home, that may not be a reason to go out and buy one right now, unless carting the tuba back and forth is an impossibility, rather than just an inconvenience. (Whether a student is willing to cart around a tuba can be a good indication of whether the student really is dedicated for the long haul, no pun intended, or just going through a phase. Maybe bringing the tuba back and forth to school every day for a year or so might be a good prerequisite to purchasing one.)

The kind of tuba a student wants will change a LOT during the late high school/early college years. If you can wait, then wait.

Having said that, if you buy a used horn from a good manufacturer (like Miraphone, Yamaha, Meinl-Weston, or King), you are more likely to be able to sell it in the future for close to what you paid for it (assuming no additional damage). Don't expect to be able to sell quickly, though, unless you are willing to take a loss. The universe of tuba purchasers is relatively small.