Meinl Weston 2155 VS 2000 VS B&S PT-6P

[Chen]

Now that everybody's talking about/praising the Meinl Weston 2000 CC tuba, how about 2155? How do the two compare? How are they different?
All I know is that the 2000 is "handmade" and lighter in weight, what's the result of that? Do they play the same otherwise? Does the 2155 still have a place among larger 4/4 CC tubas? Why don't they (Meinl Weston) just replace the 2155 with 2000?
Finally...how do PT-6P compare to the 2155 and the 2000? As you can probably see..I am considering the three tubas.. any comment is appreciated, thanks!

[Stefan]

I own the 2155 and I have played the 2000 - although just for a few minutes. My view is that I am glad I saved many thousands of dollars by owning the 2155. I could detect very little difference between the 2. Perhaps if the I had the 2000 at my house for a week or so and really compare it properly side by side, there would be some differences. But right now, I find it hard to justify the extra thousands.

Stefan

[Jonathan Fowler]

As with most things tuba-related this issue will be diffeent from person to person/horn to horn. Speaking specifically about the 2155 and the 2000; one may find a gem 2155 or a dog of a 2000...in which case the buyer would be well advised to save the 4 grand (assuming that we are discussing new instruments) and buy the 2155. That's what I did when I got my 2155 last year. That being said I have played 2000's that played better than the horn that I purchased, they were just not available when I was in the market.

[Matt G]

From information that I've gathered from some people very close to Warren Deck, the 2000 is the instrument the 2155 was supposed to be.

When Mr. Deck was designing the 2155, he went through prototypes. All of those prototypes were handmade. He settled upon the version which became the pattern for the 2155 and took the prototype home with him.

Quite a few 2155's were made and many of them seemed to need extensive modification to play like his. None really got close, mainly due to the production weight of this horn as required by the thicker brass walls in the large bows and branches because of the hydraulic forming process.

Once they figured out what was the reason, MW started making an exact clone of Mr. Deck's prototype with a few newer innovations and using the exact same process. That means the lage bows and branches are handmade from sheet brass.

In general, the 2000 has much better response, flexibility of color and intonation. The 2155 is a good horn, but the 2000 is just better.

As far as a PT-6(P?) vs. a 2155. I have played them both and would say that they are nothing alike. The 2155 has a sound and feel more like an old rotory Alexander and the PT-6P has a sound and feel more similar to a smaller, German version of a York. The construction process of the PT-6P and the 2155 are identical. In fact, the valve cluster is the same. The 2000 is a little less comparable to the PT-6P because of the greater measure of feedback and projection it offers. A 2000 is truly meant to be a special tuba.

[ThomasP]

I really didn't like the 2155. And the 2000 I played was much better than any other MW I had played previously. From the time I played a PT-6P I fell in love. That was the horn I wanted, until I played a Willson and liked it just as much. So I would say add the Willson 3050S to your list and eliminate the 2155, unless its there because of its pricing. My point is, if you're willing to pay for a PT-6P, then the best choice from what I've heard, and my own experiences, would be the 2000. But nothing can substitute playing the horns side-by-side by yourself on your own...