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was wondering what people thought would be the best 6/4 CC tuba to buy?

Since price is not part of the question i guess i'll humor you.

Either a Yorkbrunner or a Nirschl York.

Unless you want something really dark then go with a 2165.

There is no "the best 6/4 CC" out there. However, many professionals play on Yorkbrunners (ie HB-50) or 6/4 Nirschls as "Pure Sound" suggested.

If you're looking for a "big tuba" I'd throw in the following (keep in mind that x/4 designations are factory imposed):

Willson 3050
B&S PT-6, PT-7 or 4098 "Neptune"
Hirsbrunner HB-6
VMI Mel Culbertson
Rudolf Meinl "5/4" (actually a 6/4)
Meinl Weston 2155, 2000, 2165, 2265, 2157
Gronitz PCK

thanks for the input, i will look into these

Why not also through in the Yamayork / Yorkaha in there? I've only heard good things about them.

Nah, go all out: the silverplated Rudy 7/4 @ Lee Stofer's!

iiipopes wrote:Nah, go all out: the silverplated Rudy 7/4 @ Lee Stofer's!

That is a BBb tuba not a CC! But since I am a BBb player, sounds good to me!

Bandmaster wrote:

iiipopes wrote:Nah, go all out: the silverplated Rudy 7/4 @ Lee Stofer's!

That is a BBb tuba not a CC! But since I am a BBb player, sounds good to me!

Just be sure you have two full-time strongmen to carry it for you. It might also be good to begin your training regimen so you have the air to blow it, too.

I'm guessing you are looking for a good playing, 5 valve 6/4 CC; so...

Less than 8K: the VMI Neptune (rotar) and the BIG Rudy Meinl (rotar)

8K-13K: Some of the York or Holton cut 6/4's are nice, maybe the BIG Gronitz as well (all are piston horns).

Over 13K: Yorkbrunner, BIG Nirschl or the new Yamayork (piston horns as well).[/b]

Ahh. Now that's a cocktail. Nice.

I highly recommend the Gronitz PCK, the only problem is, since they are handmade, some of them are lemons, but if you find a good, one, gronitz pck KICKS ***. This is coming from someone who has tried the nirschl, and the PT6, and the miraphone 1281. The Yorkbrunner, though I've never tried it, was ridiculously big for my teacher for the orchestras he was doing, so he moved down to a gronitz, but it doesn't make a huge difference because the gronitz can handle a big orchestra (it's like moving down from a monster truck to a really big hummer). The PT6 is even smaller than this, at best it is a 5/4 tuba. Don't look to go to big, I've never even heard of a 7/4, but the chances are, you will not be able to handle a tuba that big, I have a gigantic lung capacity (over 6.5 liters, I forget how large) and the Gronitz does my just fine, and gives me a work out. Sorry I'm rambling a little bit I think, but hope that helps.

TubaRay wrote: It might also be good to begin your training regimen so you have the air to blow it, too.

6/4 tubas are like 6'4" blondes:
Even if you love the shape,
even if you get your arms around it,
that doesn't mean you can fill it up!!

patentnonsense wrote:6"4' blondes

Uh, don't you mean 6' 4"? I kind of like 6" 4' blondes, especially the ones with flat heads and large ears

I think it is myth that you need to be big yourself to play a 6/4 tuba. I find my B&S Neptune requires less air and effort to make a big sound than any of my Eb tubas. In fact I was amazed when I got it to find I can sustain a longer phrase on a breath playing the 6/4 - I can only think the big tuba is more efficient.

However, I don't think this is necessarily the case with all 6/4 tubas - I trialed a Rudolf Meinl 5/4 BBb for two weeks, but found that really sucked the air out, although it had a great sound.

Going back to the original question, I would highly recommend the B&S Mel Culbertson Neptune. It is a tuba with an awe inspiring big sound (I have lost count of the compliments I have received since I got mine), easy to blow and reasonably priced. Intonation requires more care than my Eb's, but is quite workable once the slides are suitably pulled (it is worth taking time to find the optimal set-up).

I would not now be without my Neptune - those of you who have never played a 6/4, don't know what you are missing. I just wish I had got one years earlier (I want to play Mahler 2 again)!

well i am 6'5 and i weigh 225 pounds so being big is not a problem for me lol

I think there was a loss in translation there, it wasn't so much being big, but having proper lung capacity. If you get a chance, read roger bobo's article on filling and containing (found on rogerbobo.com) and you will see why a REALLY big tuba might cause problems for humans of average lung capacity. As for neptunes....pretty much I stay away from the planet named tubas, neptune, jupiter...etc etc. Too many times have I heard that these instruments sound like a garbage can, and for every time I have heard one, I would have to agree. Generally, my rule of thumb is, you get what you pay for, if you want a really realy solid pro level tuba, you will end up dropping 8-11k (well...17 if you're going for the yorkbrunner....), and in the words of my old teacher, pay as much as you can afford. We are just here for reference too (the people of the forumn) the only way you can figure out the tuba you need, is to go out and try them, and bring a good set of ears with you.

oh and neptune is completely correct, physical size doesn't matter. you have a greater chance of having a large lung capacity if you are, but I mean, guys like jeff anderson, sam pilafian, dan perantoni, these are not big guys (I would know I've met all of them) but they are still all great tuba players.

You're correct about "Jupiter" being low in quality... but the Neptune tuba is made by B&S/VMI and is of very, very high quality.

And if you put Saturn waterkeys on it, be careful so there are no Mars when you are done.

And with all the Planets rolling around, I wonder why nobody has introduced a tuba that sounds like Uranus?

I would suggest you try different models and see what suits you. More expensive, does not necessarily mean a better tuba. Remember that labor costs have a large effect on the price, so tubas made in the former Eastern Europe are generally less expensive. Rotary tubas are also generally less expensive than the equivalent piston tuba - these two factors explain why the Neptune is a reasonable price compared to most other 6/4.

If you are looking for a really inexpensive big CC, then it may also be worth checking out the Cerveny CCB601. I have never tried one, but am quite satisfied with the sound, build quality and valves on my recently acquired CBB701 Kaiser BBb, although it does suck the air a lot more than the Neptune.