MW 2141 and MW2145 comparison

[smurphius]

I'm interested in hearing a description/comparison of how the Meinl Weston 2145 CC tuba plays against a Meinl Weston 2141 Eb tuba.

Thanks!!

[Casey Tucker]

the 45 is in the key of CC and the 41 is in the key of Eb

[smurphius]

LOL... Well, I suppose to be more specific, I was looking for specific playing differences. Does the 2141 play more like a CC or an F?

[Stefan Kac]

The 2141 plays more like a CC. I can't imagine a better all around horn, hence the signature.

[GC]

Slight Hijack: Then does the 2040 play more like a rotary CC or a rotary F?

[Wyvern]

Slight Hijack: Then does the 2040 play more like a rotary CC or a rotary F?

Sound wise, it leans towards a rotary F (I understand it was designed to sound like a German F), although with a deep cup mouthpiece (like the MF2) it is possible to produce a fatter more CC like sound.

Intonation is as good as a 4/4 CC.

I have used mine for anything from quintet to Mahler 6 with large symphony orchestra.

[DanClouse]

I recently bought the 2141 after trying out just about every other bass tuba available and I'm pretty hapy with it as an all around instrument.* It leans toward the smallish CC side for sound, but if you steer it right, it has the ability to "ping-ey" in the upper register like an F. Like most bass tubas, it has volume, but not presence like a CC.

One of my students has a 2145 CC, and it's also a good all around instrument for a smallish CC. However, it does NOT sound like a bass tuba in the upper register, and does not have a huge sound like a larger CC (BAT). It has a good and present sound, a good scale, and makes about the right amount of noise for a tuba its size. Like I said, it's a good general purpose tuba.

If you are in the market for your first horn, I would recommend getting a general purpose horn that does everything pretty well, including "the gig." By that, I mean it can carry a band or orchestra without superhuman feets of wind. I would stick to BBb or CC for a first horn.

If you are in the market for a second horn, then you can get a little more specific and look for an instrument to fit your current needs exactly.

Hope this is helpful

*It's a good all-around instrument for what I do right now.