Here's a brief summary of the prototype 188, the details are below:
Mirafone 188 CC (prototype)
- 4/4 (bigger than the modern 188)
- 5 valves (all right hand, 5th valve is flat minor 3)
- easy, big lower register
- bare brass
- comes with old, red cronkite gig bag
- $4200 + shipping
this is really a great horn, I just need the money fairly quick for grad school.
The 1960's Mirafone prototype 188 is made up of a 186 valve section, Rudolf Meinl body and the bell of the current 188 (which is dinged up on the side as you can see). I guess you can call it a Rudyphone. It used to have a Meinl Weston bell before when Tommy Johnson first had the horn, and said it played horribley. When another professional at the time decided to buy it from him (I don't know how it ended up this way) but he had the MW bell replaced with what it is right now. Probably Rob Stewart (the main brass repair guy in southern Cali) found a way to make the horn sound better, and the rest is history.
Unlike other typical Mirafones, it's a bit darker while still retaining the Mirafone sound. Very even, and no difficultly pulling slides. I only deal with the first valve slide at this point for the usual notes (low D, low Eb, A, Bb, D, F...). The only major pitch issue is the bottom line of the staff G and the F# below that. I have to do 13 and 24 for those notes. Surprisingly I got used to it just fine, and I actually like having to finger 13 for G and quite flexible in some ways. Centering the notes is not a problem as long as you're a good student in-shape all the time. By the way, the 5th valve is a long m3 (so low F is fingered 235).
This will be a great horn not only for incoming freshmen but up to grad school as well. I've used it with orchestras in the L.A. area and Mexico and it served well. Projects great, blends well and you get a big enough sound out of it. I played it next to a Nirschl (big 4/4) and they both sounded very similar (the Nirschl had more breadth to its sound of course).
Further questions, email Winton at yuichituba@yahoo.com or just pm me
I'm in the Los Angeles area.
make it bounce