The new B&S GR55 BBb

[Wyvern]

I see the new GR-55 BBb is now out in gold brass as standard - looks nice!
http://www.hornboerse.de/cgi-bin/shop/l ... 24697&ls=d



Must be a contender for those looking for a rotary 5/4 BBb?

[joh_tuba]

I play on a brand spanking new PT605(GR51) in my guard unit. Much larger and more open than I expected based solely on physical appearance. The low end is a bit ridiculous in how much sonic wattage can be produced. The lack of a bell flair hasn't struck me as an issue that needed addressing. It will be interesting to compare the 51 to the 55. Other than a bit of bell flair I'm not seeing any real obvious differences.

My only *real* complaint regarding the 51 is the layout of the wrap of the tuning slides. I would really like easier access to the third slide. Also, it seems like it would be a no brainer to add a 5th valve. The intonation is quite good but can and should be much better if the performer at minimum had easier access to manipulate the slides.

FWIW

[Bob Kolada]

Does it at least have a usable 4th slide?

[tubajazzo]

Neptune, this tuba really looks much like that in your avatar!

[joh_tuba]

Yes it does. It's really only the 3rd valve slide that is hard to reach. A second valve kicker and a fifth valve would solve everything for me.

A quick look at the specs on the VMI website suggests that the other difference between the two models is that the 4th valve is 1mm larger bore on the 55. Perhaps that change combined with a smidge more bell flair makes for a bit less sonic weapon quality down low?

[Wyvern]

Neptune, this tuba really looks much like that in your avatar!

Yes, you are right...but pure coincidence

I play on a brand spanking new PT605(GR51) in my guard unit.

Out of interest, how heavy do you find the the PT-605? My PT-20 4/4 CC is surprisingly heavy for its size (I hope that means it is thick metal to repel dents!!!)