King 2341 v. Conn 5J

[MartyNeilan]

IMHO, the Conn is a little small for a high school band, great for middle school. The King is more of a fullsized tuba. Don't just limit yourself to these two models, there are plenty of other options out there as well.

[sloan]

The King is almost the perfect high-school tuba - IF you deal with a source with a liberal return policy. Once you find enough *good* ones, you'll be very happy.

One tip: normal maintenance should pay attention to the bolts holding on the valve cluster. In a pinch, your local hardware store can supply you with lots of #8 bolts - but it might be a good idea to have a small supply of "official King" replacements.

[iiipopes]

The King. For all the reasons posted above. I played one in high school. It's the whole deal package. It may cost, school discount price, @$1000 more than a lot of the more popular tubas, but when you teach the players to take care of them, they will last decades longer and be a better value in the long run for a school system.

Bloke and the others have repaired more tubas than Carter has pills. So listen to them.