Is anyone building anything like a BBb "BAT" today

[Lew]

Anyone here ever play the MW Fafner? That seems to be the only one that is available without too much trouble. There are a couple of reviews on wwbw and one guy seems very unhappy with the sound.

I have tried one briefly a few times. That's not really enough to evaluate, and of course your experience will be different based on your playing style. That said, I liked the way that it played. I prefered it to the M-W model 25s that I have played. The person next to me in one of the bands in which I play has one, and it sounds fine to me. I think that it is probably one of the better BBb tubas available today.

[Rick Denney]

I like the Mirafone 191 much better. It's extremely easy to play in all registers, and makes a huge sound.

I wish one of those easy-to-play 191's or 1291's would come my way for a try. I haven't found them to be provide as big a response for a given input as your statement suggests.

The Fafner I tried was much more impressive. But, like all big tubas, you have to try it out in a big room and listen to what comes back to you from the room, not what you hear from the bell. This is especially true with the Willson 3100--I think the Fafner is easier to hear than the Willson, but it's not a compact wrap that puts the bell close to your ear the way the 191 does.

The Fafner didn't seem to me to have the same depth of sound as the Holton, but it had a focus and power that was easier to exploit than with the Holton. When I want that sound on the Holton, I use a mouthpiece with more of cup shape--the Fafner produces it with any mouthpiece. I haven't played one enough to know if the sound has that same friendly sweetness that I like in the big American BATs.

Keating Johnson sold his very special Holton BBb tuba a couple of years ago after replacing it with a Fafner. Here's what he said on Tubenet just after he bought his Fafner:

I bought a Fafner just one month ago, have used it even with faculty brass at Washington State University. Many of you know my Holton, which I bought from Arnold while studying as a masters student, in 1974.

The response, rich low register, orchestral sound and solo possible sounds have all astounded me. My wife, brass faculty and many music school faculty. This is an amazing tuba. Having played large BBb tuba since working with Don Heeren in high school and even subbing for Floyd and others over the years, and my knowledge of the German orchestras---I still have been overwhelmed by the things that the Fafner can do. Stay tuned as I can slowly collect my thoughts, even one month in I am more and more sure of how well this tuba plays.

He bought that Holton from Arnold Jacobs and played it for 28 years. The Fafner would have had to do something special for him to finally sell that Holton.

Rick "for whom the Fafner would share the short list with the Gronitz PBK and the 5/4 Rudy for a big tuba if the Holton disappeared" Denney

[Chuck(G)]

Sheesh, who wants to lug around a 6/4 hunk of sheet brass anyway? What I'd like is a tuba the size of, say, an oboe, and the sound of the big Rudi....

Maybe someone could devise one that worked the same way as one of those collapsable drinking cups.

Now THAT would be special!

[Tubaman485]

I played one of the new Besson BBbs and it was a monster of an instrument. I could barely hold it and it had that BAT sound in my opinion.

Josh