Yamaha F tuba play-alikes

[Too Loud]

Collective Wisdom,

Whether or not you you like the tone of Yamaha F tubas, you must admit that nothing beats how well their low registers play. I have heard rumors that some other F tubas, such as Wilson and Gronitz, play like the Yamaha F tubas. Will anyone who has played a Yamaha F tuba please confirm or deny these rumors?

Thank you,

Christopher

[Too Loud]

russiantuba,

Thank you for the input.

Christopher

[Rick Denney]

There is so much more to how an F tuba plays than its low C that I'm not sure it's really possible to answer your question.

The Willson has a great low C, both the piston and rotary versions. It is a very large F tuba and sounds more like a contrabass. It can be played beautifully (as can the 621) but it's round, round, round. If you want some singing upper overtones and notes with crisp clarity, you'll have to provide them. For sheer playing fun, I prefer the rotary version.

I've never played the Gronitz. The one time I asked a certain Gronitz dealer if he'd brought one to a conference, his response was, "No. But have you tried the St. Petersburg?" No other opportunity has presented itself.

I've played lots of piston F's that had an easy low register--the Miraphone Petruschka, the Meinl-Weston 2250, even the Gemeinhardt. I've also played many rotary F's that had a low register that worked just fine, and quite a few that sounded and felt hollow in the low register.

I have played a 621 since their first year, and mine is #72. When I bought it, I was looking for something that was not oinky in the low register, as my previous F, a cheap 4-valve Musica, had been. But despite the 621's small size, the weakness I find with it is surprising: the upper register does not sing. And there is a volume ceiling beyond which one must use a shallow mouthpiece and go trombone-like. That ceiling is different for different players, of course. But it's there. The so-called bland sound of the 621 can be livened up considerably using a Sellmansberger Solo mouthpiece, which is a nice combination of rich in harmonics and still big and open enough to avoid bottling up the bottom end.

But the same mouthpiece on my B&S, of the original Symphonie dimensions, makes a singing, lovely, floating sound in all registers particularly up high, and when I first started to hear it I realized what the 621 lacked. It plays perfectly in tune if I do. (The Yamaha is more point-n-shoot, which is a desirable quality in many situations, particularly when I'm stretched to my technical limits.) The low C on the B&S is a bit different in the way it blows--much like the low G on a C tuba or the low F on a Bb tuba--but I have found that the little bit of effort it took to manage that note on that instrument has translated to most other F tubas. I have also found that it translates to contrabass tubas--the embouchure control required for the low register on a classic F tuba does no harm on a Bb.

Rick "who still likes the Yamaha for certain situations" Denney

[Too Loud]

Rick,

Thank you for your input. I heard that a hand-full of other F tubas also had a "more-stable" low register similar to the Yamaha tubas have and I just wanted to confirm this notion. My B&S PT-12 had a difficult low-register, but it did what I needed it to do and sung beautifully. It seems like Wilson, Gronitz, and Yamaha carry the low-register F tuba market. Do you agree?

Christopher

[Lukowicz]

Christopher,

I currently play a Willson F. The low register is SOLID and can sound like a 3/4 CC tuba is you use a bigger mouthpiece. I currently use the GW MMVI F tuba mouthpiece for quintet and orchestra. I use the GW MMX Solo F mouthpiece for solos and lighter F tuba orchestral works. This brings the sound in and adds a lot of color to the sound that you would expect out of a medium sized F tuba.

To my ears, the Willson has more color to it compared to the Yamahas that I have played, and I used a Yamaha F all through my undergrad. I also have had a few mods done to my F that helped take away the "tank-like-sound" that some people relate with Willson tubas.

Feel free to PM me if you have questions about the above.

Good luck in your search,
Tom

[Stefan]

Craig Knox uses one on his recent solo cd.

I chose the Petrushka partially because of how solid the low register is. I do plan on spending time with the 2250 when I have a chance.

Stefan

[Dean E]

I cannot imagine a better horn than a Yamaha 822 4+1 piston + rotary. Cs and Bs are solid and dependable. Pedal F is amazing, and even I can coax reliable pedal Ds out of the 822.

[Bob Kolada]

http://www.tomlukowicz.com/Performances ... 20DEMO.mp3

NO low range issues AT ALL. GO TOM!

The middle of that sounds really cool!

[J.c. Sherman]

Both the Meinl Westen 182 and 2182 feel very similar to the Yamaha 621 in the low range to me.

J.c.S.