recommendation for small quintet BBb

[PMeuph]

Anyone who can play as well as Pokorny can use whatever horn they want for quintet.

And the inverse of that is also true: anybody with a limited budget can use the one horn they own for any ensemble.

My point was not about budget at all, it was about skill. There are plenty of "middle of the road" horns that would be fine to use in all scenarios. However, imho, only a really skillful player can pull of a really large horn in quintet.

[Bob Kolada]

Imho, unless the trombone is on bass, the horn on Wagner,... a bass tuba or smaller is the only acceptable default horn. I WOULD like a small Bb for low range stuff but I prefer low trombones for the fifth part.

[Wyvern]

Our Wessex 3/4 rotary BBb may be ideal for your purpose
http://www.wessex-tubas.com/bbb-lightweight/

It has a great full, but light tone, is spot in tune - and inexpensive too!

[ken k]

Speaking of Meinl Weston or copies there of, the MW model 18 "Handy" is a great small tuba that would be great in a quintet setting. Not a lot of them around, but...

There's one used at Dillon Music:

love this horn!!!!

the little yamaha 621 is cool too...

two different animals however, the MW plays much bigger than it looks, sort of like a piggy.
ken k

[bisontuba]

Hi-
I have not played the BBb version, but if it is as good as the CC version, I would definitely check out the Big Mouth Brass (BMB) / Gemeinhardt 3/4 BBb 4 piston 734 tuba (like the 3/4 CC, 16" bell, .730/.750 bore). The 834 CC version is rather amazing. I have Don's 844 BBb here at my place--I need to use a BBb in a few weeks--and it is just wonderful. I know Don was VERY impressed by the 834 CC for a little CC--again, IF the BBB version plays as well, I would consider making a trip to Elkhart or catching Dick Barth at one of his stops.
My 2 cents...

mark

[tbn.al]

I liked my 184 a lot. The only thing I didn't like about it was having to work the 1st valve slide like a trombone to play it in tune. There is very little wiggle room with regard to pitch. In trumpet terms the slots were tight. My quintet didn't like the fact the the tone was so compact and centered. That seemed to expose all of our pitch problems. My solution was to buy an Olds O-99 and let Joe blokerize it. It plays close enough in tune throughout the range for me to lip when I need to, never more than 10 cents. The sound is broader, which makes it a easier foundation for the rest of the quintet to build on, or so they tell me. The Olds really doesn't have that soloistic presence that the 184 has and I miss that, but truthfully there are not that many solo passages in our quintet literature. The O-99 does a much better job laying down the foundation, ie. bass line. YMMV.

[Art Hovey]

I am surprised that no one has mentioned the Miraphone 1271. If you like the Conn 5J you will love the 1271 because of its larger dual bore. It's what a 5J should have been.

http://www.brassreview.com/reviews/mira ... -1271.html

Regrettably they have now replaced it with a "1272" which is the same tuba but with the pistons arranged like a King, (3 in a straight row with the 4th offset) instead of the nice comfortable arc. I asked Matt Walters why they did that, and he said it was what people want. Go figure. Has anyone ever seen a human hand with fingertips in that configuration?

Anyway, it's still a great small BBb tuba with pistons that are very fast and light.

[J.c. Sherman]

In defense of the 184, if you find a good one, you're gold. Admittedly, I've only tried one BBb 184, but it was exceptional in every way. Pitch, articulation, sound, everything.

I play a 184 for most of my quintet playing; one of my quintets practically insists on it (a very powerful group), and the other one likes the split between it and my Yamaha 621 F. My last 184 was very good, but - as I've often heard, my 4 valve version is much better... it's hands free except for some of the extra low tones; but I can poop out a nice low D on it with only 4 valves with the long 3rd slide pulled. The BBb has that long slide too, so low C is plenty available.

I have the DVS linkages and they're fast and silent.

[jeopardymaster]

My 184 is spot-on. All the slides come out a bit, 4th quite a bit, and then I don't even touch them. Bought it in 1974. For some years the open middle c and d in the staff played a bit flat, but playing c 5th valve and pushing in on 1 for the d worked fine. Then a repairman in Pittsburgh (Ted Woehr) offered to take a look at it, and found a burr at the water key. Out came the burr, and thereafter all was fine. For many years it was my only tuba. Anymore I love it for quintet and solo/small ensemble work. Just wonderful.

[GC]

I think it depends on the quintet.

Amen. I've played with quintets that were afraid to play above a whisper and others that would peel paint off the walls.

[k001k47]

I can offer an outstanding price right now on (brand new - very limited supply) the original version of the "Howard Johnson" Meinl-Weston... (2011 TA - lacquer finish)

(The front-action piston and rotary versions are also super-marked down on a special - the FA and RA versions, but they are still priced a good bit higher than the TA version.)

' just sayin'...

. . . . . . . . .

[k001k47]

How many can I put you down for, Dale?

(All of the M-W dealers got the same sheet.)

Can finance a blokepiece? They're really cool . . . what was that yellow stuff you were using to clean them at TMEA anyway?

[k001k47]

I've never played in a reputable quintet, and my opinion is far from valid, but what about this? http://www.kanstul.net/detail.php?pass_ ... nd%20Brass

[k001k47]

I've never played in a reputable quintet, and my opinion is far from valid, but what about this? http://www.kanstul.net/detail.php?pass_ ... nd%20Brass

I've played the C version. I would expect that the BBb version would be of more use.

As to the hojo...It might be best, after all, to wait for the Chinese version to appear on the eastern seaboard.

I'm still waiting for a Chinese CSO York.

[MikeMason]

One of my favorite quintet horns was a conn 2j that I stupidly sold.perfect quintet horn for my taste.tuba tinker is selling the Bb version currently,the conn 4j.thats what I would go with...

[Frank Ortega]

There is a great YBB 641, 4 valve, 3/4 BBb at Dillon Music right now.
I played it on Wednesday when trying horns with a student.

I was pleasantly surprised with how well it played.

- Frank

[Michael Bush]

- ...Meinl-Weston "186" (small bore: .630") BBb tubas...

- How well do the Chinese copies of this model play?

I'm finally in a position to say a thing or two about the Chinese copy. It is small. Quintet for sure. I tried it this afternoon in a community band rehearsal; nowhere near enough volume. I went back to the big Conn in that context pretty quickly.

The intonation and response are easy (though the 4th valve tuning slide was fully committed this afternoon). The sound is focused and clear. A pleasing little instrument all things considered. This time of year I want a horn this size, and it fits the bill nicely. I don't know how long I'll keep it, but for the time being I'm glad to have it.

FWIW.

[Bob Kolada]

What does it play similarly to?

[Michael Bush]

What does it play similarly to?

I'm afraid I don't have the faintest idea. It doesn't remind me of any other tuba I've played, but my experience is limited. It's the only 3/4 rotary tuba I've ever been in the same room with as far as I know. For me, doing my bit in a volunteer church quintet and a couple of community bands, it is easy to play responsively and in tune, and is therefore quite satisfactory.

The other thing I should say about it is that the construction is better than I have seen on Chinese horns in the past. The tubing is square; there are no places where it looks like a tube was forced into place or budged out of alignment to fit a brace. The only fit-and-finish problem I see is that it does still have those imperfectly buffed inner branches that others have commented on as a perennial Jinbao issue.

[TUbajohn20J]

20J's/21J's work surprisingly well with quintets. I've used mine plenty of times. I used to have a picture of an old brass quintet playing outside and the guy was using a 25J upright bell. Ill try to dig up that pic and post it.