Adams

[Atuba]

Hi tuba friends,

What do you guys think about Adams tubas? Have you played some models of them?

Really need opinions.

Thanks in advance !!!

[Jess Haney]

From what I have heard they are a well built little horn. I have heard throught the grapevine that they are being made from leftover parts and the tooling of Hirsbrunner tubas. From what I have been told they are supposed to be from Hirsbrunner specifications after Adams bought the remains of hirsbrunner company. I have never had the chance to play them since it seems nothing ever gets out here to the rocky mountains. Hopefully someone here has played one or maybe knows a little more about the background.

[Lee Stofer]

The Adams tubas are amongst the very finest in the world. I have spoken with Miel Adams, who told me that since they had acquired first the Bauerfeind Company in Germany which had made the pistons for Hirsbrunner, then through an agreement with Hirsbrunner acquired the tooling for Hirsbrunner instruments, that they were looking to build the 4/4 CC and continue it's development.

I am happy to say that the old Hirsbrunner tooling is in good hands, and that Adams' commitment to quality is real. Adams is making some really outstanding 4/4 piston CC tubas. The Adams impresses me as being more lightweight and resonant, an easy-to-play instrument with a very lively, colorful sound and very good intonation. I would not be surprised to see further offerings in their model lineup in the future. Their euphoniums are also gaining a substantial following, too. I worked on one just about two months ago, and it is made as well as any professional euphonium on Earth.

[Alex C]

Adams horns are not necessarily made from leftover Hirsburnner parts but, as Lee said, the parts are made on the same mandrels.

You should know that they are expensive, I understood the selling price (only a rumor) of the F tuba was between $11000 and $14000 in the US. These are good horns, I've played horns that were equal to or better than Adams instruments which cost a lot less.

[hubert]

Look at Lee's post. In fact Hirsbrunner has been sold to Adams.

Realizing that this is a matter of personal preferences, taste and the like:
I had the opportunity to play a few instruments at the Adams factory. I must be very positive about the F: very fine in all respects. True: not really a modest price .
My experiences with the 3 CC's I played, varied. This mainly had to do with the Adams policy of offering a choice in thickness of material and kind of material for certain parts. But...one of the three pleased me more than any 4/4 Hirsbrunner had ever done.

As far as the euphonium is concerned: look at David Werden's website.

Hubert

[DaTweeka]

The Adams euphoniums are touted as nothing less than deific, and given their price tag, they better be. That being said, you can custom order these horns with all kinds of specifications, from the buttons on the horn to the thickness of the metal. Now, the only way to figure out what you want is to try before you buy. And since Adams can basically pimp out your horn in-shop, then it wouldn't be a bad idea to just go out and see what horns you can get your hands on, especially considering the price tag. I know Tuba Exchange had an Adams CC in their shop when I went there in late July, and that they advertised a couple of Adams euphs. Again, the euphs are supposedly the best thing since sliced bread, and possess the free-blowing quality that most folks adore. I didn't get my hands on the CC, but it sure looked pretty. That said, you can get the comparable Miraphone (the New Yorker) for 2 grand less, a lacquer MW Thor for the same price (both at WWBW), and there's a Gronitz G50 floating around on the forum for $8,000, if you're interested in that.

So, if possible, try before you buy. People love them for a reason, but that may not be the reason you want the horn.

[Timswisstuba]

Hirsbrunner is still up and running. I've been to the factory recently and they're still making tubas.

I've always understood that Adams bought the rights to use the Hirsbrunner design and specifications as a basis for their horn (much more honest than the Chinese) which gave Hirsbrunner a cash flow to continue making tubas.

I do not doubt that the Adams' horns are quality horns as they have a good basis from which to start their designs.

[Atuba]

Thanks everyone for answering the post. It's really helpful from you all.

Now, I have understood some good things about Adams tubas. The price is a really important decision if I choose this horn because they are really expensive. But, now I'm playing with my Yamana YFB-621 and I have played Adams Custom and I can see the differences. They are really good in sound, flexibility, intonation, response, etc... And that's why I want to change my horn. I can feel when I play with orchestra that it doesnt work as I need. I think you understand me what I meant.

Thanks in advance and for helping me.


Greetings!!


Adrián Miranda

[mceuph]

The Adams euphoniums are touted as nothing less than deific, and given their price tag, they better be.

Actually, Adams euphs are no more expensive than any other good European made euphonium and less expensive than most. The most expensive option is the sterling silver bell option will add $1000 to the price. Here are some price comparisons from Dillon Music. All prices are including a case. The Adams comes with a Marcus Bonna case, which runs for $660 by itself at Horn Guys:

Adams Euphonium Prices (for all bell thicknesses):
yellow brass bell (any thickness): $6554
gold brass bell: $6775
red brass bell: $7015
sterling silver bell: $7565

Besson Prestige: $7003

Willson 2900: $7895

Miraphone 5050: $8290

I can't speak for the tubas, but as a former Hirsbrunner owner I can say that the Adams euph feels very similar in my hands, but that's about where it ends for me. The Hirsbrunner and Adams both have some shared characteristics (namely a fantastic low range), but the Adams plays much more consistently in tune and with a much more lively and rich sound than on my Hirsbrunner. It also doesn't suffer from the difficulties in the high range that my Hirsbrunner had. It is definitely not a "miracle horn" though, but is certainly right at the top of the line in terms of craftsmanship. Would definitely be interested to hear an Adams tuba in person.

[dwerden]

Let me add a little bit of information, as I know it. First, I'm very enthused about Adams in general. They are bright folks who want to make the best instruments on the market, and they are investing a great deal in R&D on an ongoing basis. I switched to being an Adams Artist about a year ago, after 20 years on my previous brand of horn. There was NO financial incentive for me to switch - I did so because I want to play the best horn out there, and that is what I believe the Adams is.

HB mandrels are being used as a basis for the Adams Custom tubas. And as said above, there are many options with Adams. Metal thickness is a very important aspect of the final instrument. In general, all the Adams instruments have excellent response. When you go to heavier metal, you don't get quite the quickness of response, even though you get a beefier sound.

But regardless of the thickness of the base metal, Adams feels very strongly that the metal needs to be a uniform thickness throughout the instrument. So they do not use hydraulics to form the tubes. They are all made from sheet metal, in some cases using proprietary methods, so that the wall thickness at the small end of a tube is the same as it is at the large end, and the thickness of the leadpipe tube is the same as the bell tube. Beyond that, even the valve blocks are made with different thicknesses to match the tubing thickness. I'm not an engineer, but it strongly suspect that methodology is why the Adams horns are so very resonant.

And you can get the adjustable gap receiver on the tubas. It is a receiver that lets you move the mouthpiece in or out to get just the gap you want between the end of the shank and the beginning of the receiver. It sounds like a gimmick, but it really does make a difference. I noticed it right away, and it affects the tone and response. It probably affects intonation as well, but I haven't taken the time yet to try to get accurate measurements. Here is an article explaining that:
http://www.dwerden.com/forum/entry.php/ ... p-Receiver

It gives specific examples from my euphonium, but you can get the idea how it might affect a tuba.

Unless you can get to a large conference, it is tough to know which options to choose. Yellow brass or gold brass, .6 or .7mm thickness, with/without the adjustable-gap receiver, heavy caps, normal or nickel-silver tuning slide, etc. Naturally when spending that much you want to be sure you've matched your tastes as well as possible. A fun option, with a little extra expense, is to get a flight to Amsterdam as cheap as possible, and take the train the Adams. They will pick you up at the station and even put you up overnight in town. They also have a couple of hotel-like dayrooms you can use at the factory, where you can leave your stuff, grab a shower, and take a nap if need be. Pretty handy if you are as wimpy at long trips as I am! (Obviously you'd want to coordinate the timing of the trip to make sure they will have sufficient horns to try.)

[ralphbsz]

Here in the SF bay area, we have one local store (Bridgepoint Music in Menlo Park, owned by the most wonderful James Manganaro) that sells and stocks some Adams tubas and euphoniums. Last time we were there, they had one Adams tuba in the showroom, a few smaller Adams instruments (trumpets or such) hanging on the wall, but no euphoniums. James mentioned that earlier in 2012, they had ordered quite a few Adams euphoniums in various configurations, and very quickly sold all of them (including one with a sterling silver bell, no not silver-plated but massive silver).

James thinks highly of them, and plays an older Adams tuba himself. My son is too young and inexperienced for such a high-end instrument, so we didn't try it out. But I bet people on the west coast could make arrangement to try out Adams instruments in James' shop.

[Atuba]

Really, thank you very much for your assistance.

It's a placer read this good advices.

Greetings!

[ralphbsz]

Here in the SF bay area, we have one local store (Bridgepoint Music in Menlo Park, owned by the most wonderful James Manganaro) that sells and stocks some Adams tubas and euphoniums. Last time we were there, they had one Adams tuba in the showroom, a few smaller Adams instruments (trumpets or such) hanging on the wall, but no euphoniums.

Correction: This morning, there was one Adams C-tuba and two euphoniums in the showroom. I didn't bother looking for smaller instruments.

[dwerden]

ralphbsz:

Thanks for the update. Glad to hear the store has the euphoniums in stock again! I'm anxious for folks to be able to try them.

From what I hear, the factory has been a little overwhelmed with orders for the euphoniums, so stock at the dealers may be a little spotty for a while. But they are smart, hard-working folks - they'll get caught up!