45s vs 45slp vs 45slz???

[Matt G]

Leather and power windows.

From my far ago and limited face time, I found the 45S to be better overall. The 45-SLP was a product of MW/VMI/B&S sticking that .750 bore piston cluster on everything. I'm sure there are some variation amongst the models, but the 45S sounds more authentic.

[Bob Kolada]

Isn't the rotary version of the 45SLP the 45SLZ?

[joh_tuba]

The 45S is midway in size between the 45 and 45SLZ. All three being rotary instruments listed in order from smallest to largest. Any of those three are a better instrument than the 45SLP which was extremely popular when it first came out and has since quickly faded.

I owned a 45S for a while. It is an excellent instrument with an easy clean response, great characteristic sound, and very manageable intonation. Probably one of the smarter F tuba designs to come out of the MW factory. I would characterize it as a large F tuba with a dark sound that hasn't gone so big that it has lost the special characteristics that make an F tuba worth the time and effort.

In contrast, the 45SLP is just big for bigness sake. It plays and sounds like a small CC with lousy intonation. The intonation can be managed(it's predictable and slides are easy to reach -there are worse horns) but I'm not willing to think that hard and try to play at the same time. I once played one as the only tuba player in a large community band for kicks. It balanced the band with NO problem and sounded very appropriate. In my mind, that is not the purpose of an F tuba. Buy a MW32 instead and learn to be happy.

[cjk]

Isn't the rotary version of the 45SLP the 45SLZ?

I don't think so. The 45SLZ is a very good big F tuba.

[joh_tuba]

I agree with CJK. They were marketed as siblings and have similar specs but it's not really fair to compare the two.

[tubafatness]

I agree with cjk in saying that the 45SLZ is a great tuba. I own and play a 45-SLP, which is also a good horn, but I do think the SLZ is the better of the two. Only problem with it? They are relatively hard to come by in the U.S., (talking about the SLZ here.) Because of that, you might be hard-pressed to find one. On the other hand, the SLP is a fairly common horn on the For Sale section here, and throughout the country. All three horns are good examples of the F tuba world, so you shouldn't have a problem with any of them.

Hope this helps!

Aaron

Edit: I'd also look at the MW 2182. It's one of the most "in-tune" F tubas out there, and it really is a player.