conn 20J

[andrew the tuba player]

I've had someone shove a small pillow down the 20j's belltrying to mess up my solo at church once...luckly i found it before hand...It completely clogged it....

[andrew the tuba player]

It always reminded me of...a power plant. because, Tubas set the mood for a song. Our boreing whole note lines are more important ten the common observer knows. So, since the 20j has a big mean deep voice, i see it as the power plant of the band (the few times i get to use it in band... )

[andrew the tuba player]

She'll power them stright down to low E with no problem. I dunno past that cuz she doesnt have a 4th valve. But, yeah, it's great. The only note I have problems tuneing below fundamental Bb is the low E. The f is good and the others too. And, not only is the bottem end great, but the high end is amazeing to. I can easily reach the second and third octive. Almost to easy . Ya, know, I love my old mirafone but, you set them side by side...its like putting a sail boat up to a battle ship...the ole 20j's just got bigger guns.

Andrew, how's the low range (and false tones and pedals ) on yours?

wait a minute...what are you trying to say Bob??

[GC]

If you're lucky enough to get a good one, you can play reasonably well in tune, can play reasonably soft, can play unreasonably loud, can level small buildings, and can enjoy the hell out of playing.

For those of us who have thin tones, these things are a godsend. For those of you who have strong, dark tones even on small horns, you'll probably get a tubby, woofy sound.

[andrew the tuba player]

see, that's what i love about mine. I can get all of that depending on what i want and how i play it.

[Sam Gnagey]

She'll power them stright down to low E with no problem. I dunno past that cuz she doesnt have a 4th valve. But, yeah, it's great. The only note I have problems tuneing below fundamental Bb is the low E. The f is good and the others too. And, not only is the bottem end great, but the high end is amazeing to. I can easily reach the second and third octive. Almost to easy . Ya, know, I love my old mirafone but, you set them side by side...its like putting a sail boat up to a battle ship...the ole 20j's just got bigger guns.

Andrew, how's the low range (and false tones and pedals ) on yours?

Andrew.... It sounds like you're not aware of what are called false tones or privlege tones. On most tubas and other brass, especially conical bore ones, notes can be produced below the 123 combination low E. It takes some screwing around with the chops but E-flat is open, D 2, D-flat 1, CC 12 and BB is 23. You can play all the way down to the BBb chormatically with those fingerings. The sound generally won't be as full as on a 4-valve horn, but some great players (Arnold Jacobs for one) are said to have prefered to use them in certain instances rather than the 4 or 5-valve fingerings for those notes. Give it a try on your 20j.

[andrew the tuba player]

Ok. thanks for explaining that to me. I'll try that and get back to you.

[AndyL]

false tones or privlege tones. Give it a try on your 20j.

Those notes, pedal Eb to BBb, play great on my 20J. Pedal C blows easier and more in tune "for me" with 3rd valve alone, but my third slide is out quite a bit.

I've read some people think the pedal tones play "less stuffy" on the 20J than the 24J (after owning both for awhile).

[GC]

I'll agree. My 25J doesn't have as strong false tones as the 20J's I've played in the past. I tend to use them anyway, and only use the 4th valve where I'd use 1 & 3. I also use it for staff-bottom F.

Using 4th valve combinations for low D, C#, C, and B gets too stuffy, responds too slowly, and is just way too sharp.

[andrew the tuba player]

Ok. I tryed the false tones that you told me about on my 20j. They are amazeing. I didnt know you could do that with a three valve horn. Thankyou. So, yeah, the false and pedal tones are great bob.

[andrew the tuba player]

Thanks Bob.
Yeah. I stared in amazement at mine for like 5 minutes straight. I've always dreamt of going that low on that horn...and now...I can

[andrew the tuba player]

Well, bob, I'm only 15 (almost 16 in november...YAY! Time to hit the road). so, I cant be drinking...And, I can only practise untill 10:00 Pm because i live in town. So...I'm just...talking to you guys...Hey, i drank like....2 liters of mountain dew today. i dont think i can sleep right now

[andrew the tuba player]

Well, I guess if you think it's to late for me, Ill go to bed...lol.
(very sarcastic sobing) I was just trying to be noce and talk to you all.

[iiipopes]

Yes, with the ability of old Conns, both tubas of the 2XJ variety and souzys, to sound really well on false pedals, the only thing a 2XJ really needs is a good 1st valve kicker so 1-3 is in tune, and then you don't need a 4th valve. Saves a few pounds of overall weight, as well.

[andrew the tuba player]

I know. I can't wait to try it out on my 20k souzy.

[MartyNeilan]

I vented the first and third pistons on the 6/4 Martin I had, and I could reach under and easily manipulate either of those slides if necessary. 1-3 wasn't really a problem because the 3rd valve was cut long, but I would usually pull for 1-2-3. False tones on that instrument were outstanding, although the open Eb felt a little funky to blow.

[andrew the tuba player]

I'll agree that on my 20j the open Eb does feel a little weird. But, when you hit it right, It comes out pretty clear.