Rudy Meinl 5/4

[willbrett]

Here's a pic of my mid-late 80's Rudy 4/4 CC:

[Tom]

But I've seen a couple of 5/4 C models with four valves sell for less than $5000, in excellent condition. Here's one of them, parked next to my 6/4 Holton BB-345 for comparison:



TubaRay owns this one, and I think it's safe to say that he produces a sound that gets favorably noticed with it.

I had a 5/4 Rudy Meinl CC just like the one pictured (4 rotors) for a short time. I got it from David Graves at Baylor and sold it for less than $5,000 several years ago to a student at Interlochen. It was a great tuba that I wish I would have kept in hindsight, but I had another CC at the time and wanted to buy a particular bass tuba (still have it), so the Rudy was sold to fund the purchase. Interestingly enough, some years later I ended up with another 4 rotor CC, albeit an Alexander 163 (not Wade's).

I recall the Rudy having a huge, colorful sound, superior craftsmanship (I have yet to see another tuba built this well, honestly). I also remember thinking that it was a very nimble and efficient instrument, despite reports that they are air hogs.

I would seriously consider buying back that particular tuba if it became available.

[tjs]

I bought my Rudy 5/4 CC a couple of years ago from Cam Gates down in DC, and I've been a convert ever since. I love the big, dark sound I can pull out of the horn. For most of the time I've owned this horn I was the only tuba in our 70+ member wind ensemble and many people commented that they thought there were at least two tubas in the group when I was playing my Rudy.

My only "complaint" (and I'm sure its me!) about the horn is that I have had some trouble getting the right clarity on the front of my notes. I was using a Laskey 30G. A couple of weeks ago I picked up an RM1 and RM1(dot) on here. In particular, the RM1 gives me a cleaner attack, while maintaining most of the richness of the sound that I like on the 30G. I'm still using the 30G when I have a piece that calls for a broad/large/full sound, and throw the RM1 in when I'm playing something that calls for rapid articulation. The RM1 also seems to lend itself well to paying well up into the high register on the instrument.

- Tim

[oedipoes]

I had a 5/4 Rudy Meinl CC just like the one pictured (4 rotors) for a short time. I got it from David Graves at Baylor and sold it for less than $5,000 several years ago to a student at Interlochen. It was a great tuba that I wish I would have kept in hindsight, but I had another CC at the time and wanted to buy a particular bass tuba (still have it), so the Rudy was sold to fund the purchase. Interestingly enough, some years later I ended up with another 4 rotor CC, albeit an Alexander 163 (not Wade's).

I recall the Rudy having a huge, colorful sound, superior craftsmanship (I have yet to see another tuba built this well, honestly). I also remember thinking that it was a very nimble and efficient instrument, despite reports that they are air hogs.

I would seriously consider buying back that particular tuba if it became available.

Tom,
Did you feel the need for a 5th valve in the pedals, or was some slide pulling enough to be in tune down there ?

[Tom]

I had a 5/4 Rudy Meinl CC just like the one pictured (4 rotors) for a short time. I got it from David Graves at Baylor and sold it for less than $5,000 several years ago to a student at Interlochen. It was a great tuba that I wish I would have kept in hindsight, but I had another CC at the time and wanted to buy a particular bass tuba (still have it), so the Rudy was sold to fund the purchase. Interestingly enough, some years later I ended up with another 4 rotor CC, albeit an Alexander 163 (not Wade's).

I recall the Rudy having a huge, colorful sound, superior craftsmanship (I have yet to see another tuba built this well, honestly). I also remember thinking that it was a very nimble and efficient instrument, despite reports that they are air hogs.

I would seriously consider buying back that particular tuba if it became available.

Tom,
Did you feel the need for a 5th valve in the pedals, or was some slide pulling enough to be in tune down there ?

I think I managed just fine with 4 valves on a CC. My current CC tuba is the 4 rotor Alexander I mentioned, which I have played exclusively as my "big" tuba for probably about 3 years. You get used to it. A 5th valve in not a "must have" item despite anything you have heard from anyone. 5th valves can make the horn have more resistance due to adding more "stuff" into horn (usually into the leadpipe in one way or another). Extreme low playing is where a 5th valve gets handy, but it is by no means essential because using slide pulls and alternates all pitches are possible down to low D, which can be played as 1234 with some slide pulling. Since this is where you run out of valves, the Db is difficult to get. I guess it could be false tone played 12. Personally I don't fret too much over it.

I have considered having a 5th valve added to my Alexander, but am afraid that I could adversely impact an otherwise superior Alexander by splicing a valve into the large (original) leadpipe. I have found with a little dedication (read: practice), I am not held back by not having a 5th valve. It does take some getting used to in order to relearn fingerings for notes that would otherwise include the 5th valve. Playing some etudes down an octave or Snedecor low studies isn't always easy, but I think that's all me...nothing to do with a 5th valve or lack thereof. Honestly, I don't find myself in situations very often where I'm asked to play low D or Db/C#, so I don't really worry that much about it.

That said, I don't think I would go on the hunt specifically for a 4 valve CC tuba. With the Alexander, I was looking for a rotary CC and happened to run across this at the time. It is not what I thought I was looking for (in terms of number of valves), but it "grabbed me." I do not regret the decision to buy that Alexander. I do wish I had the big Rudy to go with it though!

[PolkaNoble]

My thread "I got my baby back" includes a picture of my 5/4 Rudy in the original post. It is next to my Mirafone 186 4U CC. That may serve as a way to compare the "Red Rudy" to a well known instrument like the 186. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=31663

[Rick Denney]

That said, I don't think I would go on the hunt specifically for a 4 valve CC tuba.

No, but if you do find one, the lack of the 5th valve will have a bigger effect on the price than on the playability.

The 5/4 Rudy with four valves probably will never sell for more than the prices we've seen quoted in this thread, but it is an instrument that can do first-class service in any professional-orchestra big-tuba setting.

The one I tooted on played more easily than a 4/4 that I had tried out years before, but playing the Holton has increased my tolerance for tubas that benefit from high air flow.

Rick "picturing himself as a Lotto winner holding a 6/4 Rudy Bb" Denney