This coming year, I will be embarking in a lot of different endeavors in tuba playing. One of those endeavors is purchasing my first F tuba. I am currently a junior at East Carolina University studying music education. I have been playing F tuba since my freshman year and have been playing on the school's Yamaha YFB-822 for the past two years. I have had much success in my playing including placing 1st in the 2012 Falcone Festival in the Student Tuba Division and 1st place in the 2013 SERTEC Young Artist Solo Competition. I am planning to attend Graduate School once I graduate from my undergraduate to study music performance.
My budget is a little tight. Ideally, I would like to spend no more than $6,000 - $7,000 and it be a great quality tuba. I am all for buying used. Can someone help me take the first step in making this purchase happen within the coming year?
Jacob Daniel
Freelance Musician and Private Lesson Instructor
Charlotte, NC
If you have access to an 822, then I would definitely play it until they hand you a diploma and lock you out of the building. Then during the next few years I would over-save to have more than enough resources to snatch up that special horn that finds you after much testing and good old-fashioned timing. And if you have extra money left after finding that special someone, you can put the rest of your savings into something smart, like an IRA etc. lol my 2 cents
KiltieTuba wrote:Find someone who's opinion you trust and bring them to a place that stocks new and used F tubas - play those and then find more to play somewhere else.
Why do you suddenly need the F tuba? If your budget is tight, save up some more for, what could be, a better F tuba.
I'm just trying to be in a comfortable position before I begin auditioning for graduate schools. If I am able to purchase a horn and play on it by next fall, it would be one less thing to pay for while in graduate school. Just trying to think ahead!
Jacob Daniel
Freelance Musician and Private Lesson Instructor
Charlotte, NC
I have been down the same road, at least as far as getting a BA in Mus Ed, and the MM, also in Mus Ed. I played tuba the whole time, and during grad school sold my only horn, and played the school F exclusively (nobody else wanted anything to do with it). It was much better than the horn I sold. I didn't own my own horn for 12 years, but owned an F exclusively for 15 years later on.
Somebody in your position would do well to wait for a deal, and I mean a great deal. If you have horn that works, play it until you play better than your teacher. Then you might need a second horn.
If you like the 822 but want more of a solo horn, find a used 621.
Great, versatile F tuba that works as a solo, quintet, small (very small) ensemble horn, and high-lighter orchestra rep. Can play much bigger than it looks.
One of the best low registers and overall intonation of any F.
Biggest complaint is that it does not have quite the lyrical timbre of a good "German" rotary F tuba. But, neither does the 822 which is more of a contrabass sound than F tuba.
You have the good fortune of playing on a fine F tuba. I highly recommend the 822s (silver plated) which I find consistently better than the lacquered. I just bought a great used 822s for $7250 so you are very close with your budget. However, do try other instruments because it's a big market. Also, what someone might suggest can also depend on what CC or BBb you play. The 822 is a great match if like in my case, play a large piston CC. Good luck!!
It may be a bit above your budget (?), but I played about a million F and Eb tubas a few years ago and ended up picking a Miraphone 1281 based on sound, intonation, low range (went looking for an "only" tuba), ergonomics, and general playability. Low range cranking requires a bit more focus than a few other horns I played but it's been a good player for me. It seems that other folks are picking the MW 2250 for almost similar reasons. Fwiw, the bass tuba I found to play the best in the low range for me was the St. Pete Eb. That thing rocks down low! Other horns I liked regardless of price were the Cerveny 653, MW 182 (needed a bigger horn than both), the Willson Eb's, small Willson F, Firebird,... Honestly, I like most bass tubas that don't suck (that'd be a more interesting list!).
Wither get a used 822 or look for a used Firebird. =Easiest horns to lay in my opinion.. You might want to look at the new Bel Canto models from Miraphone, but you will not find many of these used at this point.
Just my $0.02.
Roger
"The music business is a cruel and shallow trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." Hunter S Thompson
I am currently a junior at East Carolina University studying music education. I have been playing F tuba since my freshman year and have been playing on the school's Yamaha YFB-822 for the past two years. I have had much success in my playing including placing 1st in the 2012 Falcone Festival in the Student Tuba Division and 1st place in the 2013 SERTEC Young Artist Solo Competition. I am planning to attend Graduate School once I graduate from my undergraduate to study music performance. 
