Horn Suggestions

[Liberty Mo]

You might try the King 2341. It is a very compact tuba that is very comfortable. You should have no problems managing the instrument and turning pages. I have yet to hear a complaint about its ergonomics. They are very good BBb tubas for the price and with a few small tweaks, can be great horns. They have been discussed numerous times in the forums, do an archive search for more information.

[Bill Troiano]

Meinel Weston makes a top action BBb - the Ho-Jo model. Made for Howard Johnson, this tuba comes in either front or top action valves. I also second the King 2341, although it is not a top action tuba.

[Liberty Mo]

I saw the Ho Jo, but it has a really small bore and in reading about it, I got the impression it was for a small ensemble/jazz band? The bore worried me....any thoughts on that? Tone quality? On the 2341, with it being a small tuba, are tone and projection a problem? Thanks

I'm not sure what you mean about tone, but as for projection, the horn has a 20" bell with a large flair. As a result, it projects very well. I've found it wont carry a 80+ piece ensemble by itself, but for almost all applications, it works great. I'm sure there are players who could easily make it work in a very large ensemble, but I'm not one.

I also wouldn't characterize it as a "small" tuba. It is a solid 4/4 instrument along the lines of the Miraphone 186/Yamaha 641, but it is much more compacted.

[Mister JP]

Personally, I don't think that the ergonomics of page turning should first and foremost warrant what horn you purchase. I think you'd be better off picking your tuba based on the size you feel is appropriate and sound you want to be able to produce and (of course) budget. By sticking with a BBb, you have a ton of options, too many to list.

Try as many as you can in person and see which one "feels right" or works best for turning pages, but it should be able to fit both you and the orchestra first, IMO.

[iiipopes]

Just to tidy up one minor detail, your horn was made in England. It is the non-comp version of their standard BBb compensating tuba. Good tuba. More suited for band.

I own both a Besson 3-valve comp and a Miraphone 186, as per the signature. As far as I know, all upright valve tubas have as their inspiration, if not execution, the standard Besson design. The Wick 1 and 1L (only difference which receiver is used -- older smaller receiver or "standard" "American" sized receiver) were specifically designed to play with the Besson BBb, and I use a Wick 1 myself on my Besson for the same reason, shank size notwithstanding.

Comp is not necessary for orchestra. As a matter of fact, a comp tuba can be a hindrance because of the relative lack of access to valve slides to fine tune intonation to match the other sections as compared with a front valve instrument, which usually has at least the first valve slide vertical to the top bow so the left hand can aid intonation.

Now, if you had said something about left eye verses right eye dominance, that can be an issue. I am left-eye dominant, and I prefer the Besson. But everybody else prefers the 186, so it gets played more and I either focus my right eye or look around the horn as best I can.

Try as many different tubas as you can. If you want to stay with BBb, as said above, there are many good tubas to choose from.

[Mister JP]

I was thinking there might also be some way of MacGyver-ing some sort of gizmo that helps with page turning rather than going through tuba after tuba.

I found this which seems to be a very high-tech solution http://airturn.com/" target="_blank I was envisioning something more physical, not digital, but it IS on the market.

[Donn]

Am I too concerned about the bore. Intuitively I am thinking that the bigger the bore, the fuller the sound.....am I right? Especially lower range, but higher range will be more difficult....??

Might even be the other way around - a small bore with a big bell can be pretty sweet. It isn't like trombone, where the bore is essentially the size.

[iiipopes]

Yes, you are too concerned about the bore. I know. I used to be. The "blow" of a tuba is more the function of the throat and backbore of the mouthpiece in conjunction with the leadpipe flare.

In general, a smaller bore will give a tad more overtones, while a larger bore will give a bit more to the fundamental. But there are many other variables from mouthpiece to bell flare that have more effect on overall tone.

Cervenys and Alex tend to have larger bores and smaller bells, while King has .687 bore and a 19" bell.

The only way to find your tuba is to play several to get an idea of ergonomics, blow, and intonation quirks that you can live with.

[Normal]

Postby ironpen » Mon Mar 02, 2009 9:35 am
... On the 2341, with it being a small tuba, are tone and projection a problem? Thanks

I've played a King 2341 in both an orchestra and band setting. I was very capable of being the sole tuba in the orchestra. In fact I used a mouthpiece that somewhat restricted the volume to keep myself from over powering the orchestra. With the band setting I plug in an SSH II that gives me the capability of playing with full volume (and soft too). It is a sixty plus piece group so one tuba is not enough. With three tubas I think we can hold our own even outdoors. This tuba does not play small, but it is not huge either.

You might also take a look at other methods for keeping your music in order outdoors (cheaper than buying a tuba) . There are ways to keep the music tied down by using clothes pins or using a sheet of clear plastic over the music to control it. My 2341 allows me an occasional reach to turn pages and catch falling pages without interrupting my playing.