Kalison bad rap

[tubahero300]

Ive talked to a few people about these horns and haven't heard much good about them. why is this?



Wes

[tubahero300]

when i was horn shopping last year, i was just told that they werent good. i dont know this myself for i havent played one, it just popped into my head recently, i was just curious about it, i dont know any specifics

[MartyNeilan]

One of the best tubas I ever had was a Kalison K2001 5/4-6/4 CC tuba. The only tuning anomaly was that open high C was unusable but worked perfect 1st valve with the slide pushed in. I installed Blokewashers shortly before I sold it, and the low register slotted even better (perhaps worn felts or a slight factory misalignment)
I also tried a couple of the Daryl Smith 4/4 piston tuba that I thought were very good horns.
All it takes is one or two "dogs" that sit at a retailer, and everybody who walks in and tries one decides that they are bad horns.

[tubahero300]

Makes sense

[NDSPTuba]

I play a Kalison 2000 Pro and it is a good playing horn. I've played maybe 5 tubas that I liked better, all of them cost 3 times+ what I paid for my tuba, and only one was another 6/4 tuba at 8 times what I paid for my tuba, it was better but not 8 times better.

[kontrabass]

Certain horns are popular and in style only because they are popular and in style.
Certain other horns are less popular only because less "up-and-coming" young players buy them. Among those who own the "stylish" horns, there may be a few that make the assumption that because everybody these days (themselves especially) is playing an XYZ, it follows that horns ZXY and XZY are lower quality instruments, and thus spread such rumours.

That's my theory. Although I have no personal experience with Kalison horns, I have seen unfounded bias against horns that were clearly of excellent professional quality, but maybe out of fashion.

[toobagrowl]

Kalisons are not bad tubas, but I've never had the urge to purchase one either. They are almost like the "European Yamaha", soundwise. Some play/sound better than others. But they are all very pretty tubas and seem to be well made.

[Cameron Gates]

I won a job on one. Great horn.

I remember there being a concern that the design blew "backwards" from the 4th through the 1st valves. Didn't seem to matter.

And whoever makes those valves should be recognized. Great feel and NEVER a hang up. Who makes those things?

[J.c. Sherman]

My Kalison DS is extraordinary. There are different tubas, but not better ones. The valves are immaculate and lightning fast, the low end can warm or bite, pitch is damn-near perfect, and you can easily come through an orchestra a fff. Find a good mouthpiece to match it. Some of the early ones were okay for the money, and my first one was excellent but not "holycowomg!". This one is.

Now, that said, I'd like to trade up to a 2000 as there's somewhat that expectation timbre-wise in this town now. But I have other 4/4s to backfill.

J.c.S.

[SFA Tubajack]

My Kalison DS is an awesome horn. Very smooth, quick valves. Solid low range that plays really well in tune and the high range really sings on this horn. It is a great dark tone, and can produce a LOT of sound and maintain tone. Its nearly impossible to over blow. I've used this horn for solo, chamber, and band settings and it has been rock solid. It is also very free blowing, with the only stuffy note being low Db, but with all 5 valves down that's reasonable. Lip slurs are amazingly smooth.

Pitch wise, it is very stable and with only a couple of notes that require slide pulling. Even still, the response and intonation is very good.

[Bob Kolada]

Going in the opposite direction of the previous posters , I have always disliked the DS. To me, they have an inordinately tubby/comp-euph-like sound. I think I played one of the new company's F tubas a few years back that was ok and the cimbassi sound nice over youtube so I'm not writing off the whole line. Just the DS.

[MartyNeilan]

Going in the opposite direction of the previous posters , I have always disliked the DS. To me, they have an inordinately tubby/comp-euph-like sound. I think I played one of the new company's F tubas a few years back that was ok and the cimbassi sound nice over youtube so I'm not writing off the whole line. Just the DS.

Yeah, but have you tried cutting one to Eb?

[jon112780]

I've played several of the the Daryl Smith CC's...

The Good:
Unscrewing the lead pipe and valves/inner tubing made cleaning much easier.
Even overall sound

The Bad:
Poor to ok intonation
Loud, clunky valves
Semi-easy to dent
Bland sound
Plastic valve guides that 'popped out' frequently
Screws that held everything together kept coming loose and buzzing, or just falling out.

[Bob Kolada]

Going in the opposite direction of the previous posters , I have always disliked the DS. To me, they have an inordinately tubby/comp-euph-like sound. I think I played one of the new company's F tubas a few years back that was ok and the cimbassi sound nice over youtube so I'm not writing off the whole line. Just the DS.

Yeah, but have you tried cutting one to Eb?

No, but I swapped a valveset worth twice the horn into a beater.

[Lee Stofer]

I think that the issue of consistency is important, as there were variations in the Kalisons, but not as much variations as there are in players, and no instrument is going to liked by everyone.

They were first purported to be of the same caliber as the top European tubas, but they were made by less-expensive means. I have worked on D Smith models that had nickel-plated slides, not solid nickel-silver slides, which has been the standard for top Euro tubas for a long time. That is not so much of an issue, until the nickel plating starts peeling off the slides. I spent a very long day de-denting, repairing and cleaning the first DS model I ever worked on, but with the slide peel in check, everything clean, lubricated and the valves accurately aligned, the young owner took the Kalison and won a Falcone Audition with it. I would say that this was one of the better-playing 4/4 European tubas I've ever played, and any of them that are in good repair should be in the same league. It might not be built to the absolute top European standards of durability, but for the right price it can be a great horn. And, if well-cared-for, it can last a lifetime.

[cjk]

I figured it was HB-21 owners who were just sore.