Rudolf Meinl F Tuba

[MikeMilnarik]

Hello Kenneth,

I own one of the 5/4 F tubas and it's fantastic! It's one of my favorite tubas. It's got an absolutely wonderful sound and the pitch is fantastic! I used to own a Yamaha YFB621 and this Rudy F. The Rudy had a darker sound that was much fuller than the 621 - even though I really liked the 621 for some things. I ended up selling the 621 and got a Yamaha YFB822 - which I absolutely love. The Rudy has a lighter sound, and quicker response than the 822, and I absolutely adore the 822. For me personally I don't think I could find two F tubas that I like more. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of amazing F tubas out there, but I don't think I've ever been more satisfied than with these two horns - especially the Rudy.

Drop me a PM or email if you've got any specific questions. I'm happy to help if I can.

Sincerely,

Mike Milnarik

[MikeMilnarik]

Hi John,

That's a great question. Let me clarify. I'm basically talking about different shades of gray. Rudy's in general are darker sounding tubas. The Rudy 5/4 F was certainly darker sounding than the 621 F - by far. The 822 F, depending on what mouthpiece you use, can sound a lot darker - more like a CC tuba. The Rudy's sound is dark, but there is a slightly lighter/brighter/quicker response I feel when compared to the 822 F specifically. It's basically a different shade of gray, with other factors involved. Both horns are exceptional.

Also, it really depends on the mouthpiece, the horn, the role it plays (solo vs. ensemble) and especially the individual behind the mouthpiece. The concept we have in our head is paramount to the horn. I've heard people get tone colors on instruments that I never thought were possible, but that was their sound concept. Although I LOVE my Yamaha tubas, I have a Rudy sound concept in my head. It helps to darken my Yamaha sound.

Oh, also the lacquer 822's are darker than the silver 822's. That makes a big difference, as well.

Two great tuba players of note on these horns...

Charlie Villarubia, who plays the 822 F in his group Rhythm and Brass. Charlie gets an incredibly dark sound out of this instrument when on the bottom of the group. He's a phenomenal player.

The other example is the tuba player that plays (or played?) in the Gomalan Brass in Italy. I'm sorry I can't remember his name. If I'm not mistaken he plays the 5/4 Rudy F. He sounds phenomenal on the bottom of that group and makes the low register respond like a CC or Yamaha low register. It's pretty amazing what he can do.

In my personal opinion - and we all have different tastes - these two F tubas are the top of my list ... for what I use them for.

If you are ever in the Boston area, let me know. I'm happy to get together and do some honkin'!

I hope this helps.

Mike Milnarik

[tubasound]

the player in gomalan brass is named Oswald Prader and I know him personally. He's really a nice guy and a great tuba player. His f-Tuba sounds enormous but his work on B-Tuba is exceptional. Happens to play the big Meinl B-Tuba, just as I am. Obviously his great B-Tuba playing comes from his studying times when he worked with David Glidden in Frankfurt. Glidden is a phenomenal B-Tuba player as well....

[chhite]

The horn pictured on their site is a six-valve 5/4 F and I've spent considerable time with one, as well as owning a five-valve version in rose brass. I enjoy the horn's ability to perform solos, in quintets, and larger ensembles like concert band and orchestra. As Mike mentioned, it's the sound that's in my head, too.

Several years ago, a student at Eastman played a rehearsal of Fantastique on it, and in that hall, a yellow brass version would have projected a bit better, but that's only one player in one hall. Those are choices and preferences you will need to decide upon. YMMV