St. Petersburg EEb

[Benjamin]

I'm looking to get me a EEb tuba. I'm not going to go all out, I'd love a Miraphone but don't need that. I have one in CC for band and orchestra, I just want a EEb for solo work, which I don't do to much so I don't need something fancy. I've played on some St. Petersburg BBb and liked them, of course I've never had one longer then a day to really get a feel. I was wondering if any one out there had played or owned a EEb St. Petersburg and could tell me what they think of them.

[MikeS]

A certain store owner, one not known for knocking his own products, once told me the St. Pete Eflat was, "Not nearly the horn the BBflat is." Granted, this was several years ago and I'm sure improvements could have been made. Keep in mind also that I've never actually played one. That the proprietor in question actually tried not to sell me one certainly sent a message. Do your own investigation, but I'd look at other horns first.

[MaryAnn]

Friend of mine has an old one. It is very playable, stuffy in the same way that an F tuba is, but not as bad as most F tubas are. It has mechanical problems with the valves (I did say it is an old one.) If it could have been maneuvered back into playability, he would have done so. But he bought a Norwegian Star....and so you know which one he plays. I bet he'd sell it for $400 if you were willing to take on the valves.

MA

[euphomate]

I had a blow on a St Pete EEb last weekend. I found it an easy horn to blow, but a bit stuffy and light in sound. I'm used to playing Besson and Willson EEb comps and there is no comparison with either of those two. It felt similar to a Yamaha 321 I once had. As a cheap, light and manageable EEb I'm sure it would be fine.

[Benjamin]

What are you guys talking about when you say stuffy? I've only played CC and BBb tubas and know very little about their higher pitched brothers.

[jeopardymaster]

My 2 cents worth -- Don't get hung up on rotors versus pistons. Yamahas and Bessons pop up all the time in the secondary market, which is depressed anyway these days. Better horns than the St Pete and likely cheaper.

[Benjamin]

I was not talking about Pistons vs. rotors bro. Read, I want to know what they mean about stuffy sounds for EEb and F, I've heave heard soloist but never played those horns, I only own a BBb and CC tuba.

[imperialbari]

The topic of stuffiness inherent in rotary valve bass tubas has come up so often through your period of membership, that you hardly would have been able to avoid it. The archives are swamped also with posts from within the lasts months, so that it just is a matter of reading, what already has been written.

If you can find a compensating Eb tuba with valves not too worn, you will be off way better than with a St. P. There are variations within the compers, but that matters very little compared to the differences to a second or third tier rotary Eb instrument.

Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre

[MaryAnn]

Stuffy feels like your air is backing up on you, like maybe there was a pair of socks suddenly stuffed in the bottom bow. The tuba doesn't "want" to resonate on stuffy notes like it "wants" to resonate on other notes. Go borrow someone's rotary F tuba and play a low C on it, and you will know what stuffy is.

MA