Your thoughts on these horns

[goodsn4]

Tuba Exchange TE-410L 5 Valve CC tuba

St. Petersburg 209N 5 Valve CC tuba

Jupiter 584L 5 Valve CC tuba

I am wanting to see what others opinions are on these horns.

[imperialbari]

In another thread I attempted starting a debate on whether some tubas were based on a good design concept, but maybe sloppily assembled. Maybe not your intention, but you touch upon the same question.

The models mentioned hardly are considered belonging to the upper end of the market. I don’t know about the origins of the TE model. I have dealt with the TE, and I am not going back to them.

The St. Petersburg CC is based on a long tradition for making BBb tubas tracing their design back to the original Cerveny and his Czech-Austrian-German environment. The question is whether the Russians have updated the technology of the valve transmission and whether they have achieved quality control at at a consistently high level. I am convinced that it is possible to find very good St. P CC tubas, but I would be very reluctant about buying one without several to choose from. I am an experienced buyer, and I am cynical enough to dismiss everything not speaking to me. If you don’t have that experience, then team up with somebody having it, and who is not involved with the seller.

As for Jupiter I have a very good trumpet from them. The laquering is not a clean job, but it plays well. I have a good trombone, which I use when its niche in my line-up is called for, but I better like my trombones by by King and Conn. I also have a slide trumpet, whict I have modified to take a horn mouthpiece. Good, but not as good as the soprano trombone Harvs Happy Horns made for me out of scrapped Reynolds parts. Again: It is possible to find Jupiter instruments, which certainly are wort their sticker price.

But it is more likely to find a good used tuba,if you know where to look.

Klaus

[TUBAD83]

The models mentioned hardly are considered belonging to the upper end of the market. I don’t know about the origins of the TE model. Klaus

The TE model is a Chinese copy of a Miraphone 186 (TE's "house brand" tubas are made in China to their specs).
That same tuba can be found on ebay for 1K less than TE's price.

Definitely go try out these horns (if you can) and see what you like or don't like. You can find a decent axe that's right for you AND fits your budget without having to take out a 3rd mortgage to pay for it. Good Luck!

JJ

[tubashaman2]

.

[tubashaman2]

.

[Todd S. Malicoate]

I know some of his students, they say he is a jupiter clinican now, does majority of stuff on his Jupiter CC.

He is a Jupiter artist...so is Patrick Sheridan. Would you say Pat's "main horn" is a Jupiter 584?

Me neither.

[ASTuba]

If you were considering only these three horns, the Jupiter is the best of the choice, IMO. It's a fine instrument that you can have tweaked by a great repair technician (See Matt W at Dillon, for example) and have a truly great tuba at a reasonable price. It's not as flashy as the other names, but Jupiter, like Yamaha when it first came out, has been consistently been improving their quality and designs since they began production. I'm not really sure what the other manufacturers on the list are doing, so I'll only speak for what I know.

Yes, Sam Pilafian and Patrick Sheridan are both Jupiter artists now. Sam is playing the 584 and Pat has been working with them on building a new Eb, from what I've heard through the grapevine. Say what you will about the Bell model and everything else, but in 2009, tuba playing in the US is a piston CC world and Pat and Sam have built some of the nicer piston CC's in the last few years (2145, Besson 995 and now the Jupiter).

Just passing on another opinion.

[goodsn4]

What kind of tweek did Sam have done to his Jupiter?

[GC]

Any idea when the Eb Sheridan's working on might be announced or released?

[djwesp]

He is a Jupiter artist...so is Patrick Sheridan. Would you say Pat's "main horn" is a Jupiter 584?

Me neither.

No. Because Pat doesn't play the CC jupiter. He plays the Jupiter prototype and some 983.

You could make an argument, especially as the horn is becoming more refined, that his "main horn" is a Jupiter Eb prototype.

Yes, honestly, both pat and sam spend considerable time on the jupiter horns. This company is trying to make large strides to overcome its reputation. The newly designed (by pat and sam, plus others) Jupiter marching horns, are in a league of their own.

[Todd S. Malicoate]

...Pat doesn't play the CC jupiter. He plays the Jupiter prototype and some 983.

Someone should tell the folks over at Jupiter, then.

Patrick Sheridan performs Jupiter 584 tuba.

[djwesp]

...Pat doesn't play the CC jupiter. He plays the Jupiter prototype and some 983.

Someone should tell the folks over at Jupiter, then.

Patrick Sheridan performs Jupiter 584 tuba.

That actually made me chuckle