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tuba_junkie_06 wrote:Does anybody know how good a kalison tuba is? This tuba I was wondering about is a 4/4 silver plated daryl smith model. If any one could give me some feed back on how well this tuba fill a room and how good it sounds thanks.

I have owned a Kalison DS for a little more than three years and I am very satisfied with it. Nice, even sound from very low to very high. As for "filling a room" I've had no problems projecting my sound in medium-size professional orchestras. The only complaint is that there are places on the valve tubing where the silver plating is wearing off. Whether a Kalison would fill your needs, only you can make that determination. At the price it's worth the effort to give this instrument a try.

I have a Marzan CC tuba for sale that, while not a large (read 5/4) instrument, has a great sound. It has 4 rotors on the slant and has an American-style taper and bell. It's on consignment at Baltimore Brass.

I also have a CC Kalison DS, and I have had no problem being heard in my humble youth orchestra. Is it as good as a Rudolph Meinl, Meinl Weston, B&S, Willson, or Hirsbrunner? Well... no (reffering to their top models of a similar size). It depends on how much $$$ you can spend. If money isn't an issue, I would go with a B&S or a Hirsbrunner.

I know someone who was looking to sell a MW 4 rotary valve CC tuba, probably in your price range. Email me if you're still looking and I will check it out with him.

Baltimore Brass has a MW 32 used for sale for like $3,500. I played it and it was one of the best I've heard for its size.