Pick one

[MacedoniaTuba]

Haven't tried Bruckner and PT 6,but i am proud owner of Tuono:)

[toobagrowl]

I think what Tony is asking about are 5-rotary valve, 5/4 size (bigger than "standard") CC tubas.

Alexander 163: Bore is 20.5 mm (.808") (through all 5 valves?). Bell diameter: 450mm, available in yellow or gold brass. Height: 103cm. Street price (with 5 valves, the 4-valve and BBb tubas have the same model number but are cheaper): $12,300.

B&S PT-6 or 3098-L: Bore is 19-21 mm (.748-.827"). Bell diameter 480 mm. Height: Pretty tall (looks like the standard "tall chimney" 186 pattern), probably 105 cm. Street price: $11,500.

Cerveny 601 and 603 "Piggy": Bore is 21.2 mm (0.835", graduated?). Bell diameter is 500 mm for the 601, and 400 mm for the Piggy. Height is a tall 105 cm for the 601, and a very short 91 cm for the Piggy. Street price: Don't know about the US; in Europe, they seem to go for $8,500 and $9,000 (price converted from Euro).

Meinl-Weston Tuono or 5450RA: Bore is 20.5-21.5 mm (.807-.846"). Bell diameter: 480 mm (gold brass bell). Height: Short, 98 cm. Street price: $11,800.

Miraphone Bruckner or 291: Bore is 20.4-21.2 mm (.803-.835"). Bell diameter: 470 mm. Height: Short, probably around 100 cm or below. Street price: $9,600.

Rudy Meinl "5/4 C Tuba" or RM1C: Bore is 22 mm (through all 5 valves?). Bell diameter: 500 mm. Height: From the photo it looks taller than a Tono/Bruckner but shorter than a PT-6. Street price: Unknown, but likely higher than the others.

Willson 3050 RZ-5: Bore is 19.5mm (so it is not really a 5/4 tuba in the bore), but it has the 500 mm bell and flare of a larger tuba. Height is 94 cm. Street price: Unknown.

Okaaaayyyyy....so 103-105 cm is "tall", but 98-100 cm is "short"? That's only a couple inches difference between the "tall" and "short" tubas you listed.
I would not call the MW Tuono/Thor or Miraphone Bruckner/1291 "short" tubas -- I'd call them "medium" in height. "Short" contrabass tubas would be the B&S PT-20P, King 2341, CB-50/Getzen CC, etc. The Alex 163, B&S PT-6, Cerveny 601 and R-M 5/4 CC are all tall, I agree. But you left out one important thing in comparing size of these tubas: overall girth. Height, wrap, bell and bore size are important, but girth (bell throat/stack & bottom bow width) trumps them all, imo.

The Miraphone 1291/Bruckner and Alex 163 are not true 5/4 size tubas, imo, because they do not have enough girth -- the bows and bell stacks are too "skinny". I think of them as large 4/4+ tubas. And the Cerveny 601 and R-M "5/4" are both large 5/4+, pushing 6/4 in size.

I've noticed this creeping-up-in-size-definition over the last few years by manufacturers and dealers. Didn't the Alex 163 used to be considered a 4/4 tuba? Every maker has their own size definition....so you gotta go on overall individual tuba size.

[BuzzedB]

' you guys review "stat's" when you're deciding which women you're attracted to...??

Stats don't matter it's all in the assets.

[ralphbsz]

... many useful things ...

Thank you for adding much more information. Not being a brass player myself (only the parent of a beginner), I had to rely on published numbers. Which can only be a very crude starting point for comparing instruments.

[Kevin Hendrick]

No need to protect Tony from TubeNet. He is more than equal to fending for himself in the face of the TNFJ.

Indeed he is, as are most of us old far ... <ahem> ... "experienced individuals" ...

[Jerryleejr]

' you guys review "stat's" when you're deciding which women you're attracted to...??

Girth and bore take on a whole different meaning...

JJ

[Kevin Hendrick]

Chronologically enhanced.

[Lee Stofer]

At this moment, I'd pick none of the above. Not that any of them are not good tubas, but I am content with what I have, a rare commodity in modern life.

If I were in the market at this time, I would consider the following;
I'd have to play a Tuono to have an opinion of how it plays.
I have played PT-6's, and could live with one if I really needed to.
I have briefly played a Mirafone Bruckner, and could be happy with one.

I would hope that the events of recent months in the structure of B&S/Meinl-Weston do not have a negative effect on their products.

Of standard-line instruments out there, my favorites in recent times has been the Meinl-Weston 2000 CC and any Rudolf Meinl CC tuba. Rudolf Meinl's tubas are all in the category of "Hand-made", which will cost you quite a bit of money. But, from my days in U.S. Army Bands, actually looking forward to pulling the instrument out of the case every day and playing for hours, and not ever dreading it, is worth something.

In my opinion, Rudolf Meinl still makes the best rotary tubas in the world, bar none, and they get better every year. In piston tubas, The M-W 2000 and the Rudolf Meinl 4345 piston CC are two of the very best. The Kanstul Company in California is also making some very fine piston tubas at more affordable prices.

For those who do not need and cannot afford a top-of-the-line instrument, there are many other very nice alternatives, both new and pre-owned.

[hurricane_harry]

PT-6. Because it's won the most jobs in world renowned orchestras.

I thought the people who shedded the most won the jobs. No wonder I haven't won a job yet...

[J Stowe]

I really love Alex Lapins sound on the Bruckner. No valve sounds at all, really rich and full of character.

[ralphbsz]

We've now had the opportunity to see a Miraphone Bruckner right next to a Meinl Tuono. The Tuono is considerably larger. While the tube diameters through the valves are only a little larger, everything else seems about 10% or 20% larger in diameter. The Tuono is also considerably taller (maybe 10cm). So the specs I had listed above are indeed misleading, the two horns are quite different.

We also heard the Tuono, both in a studio (where it sounded great), and in a large concert hall (where it also sounded great). Credit for that sound has to go to the human playing it.

[Untersatz]

We've now had the opportunity to see a Miraphone Bruckner right next to a Meinl Tuono. The Tuono is considerably larger. While the tube diameters through the valves are only a little larger, everything else seems about 10% or 20% larger in diameter. The Tuono is also considerably taller (maybe 10cm). So the specs I had listed above are indeed misleading, the two horns are quite different.

We also heard the Tuono, both in a studio (where it sounded great), and in a large concert hall (where it also sounded great). Credit for that sound has to go to the human playing it.

We have??? Did I miss something here???

[EMC]

Tuono because of its awesome namand the fact that I love meinl Weston tubas, every pt-6 I've tried (which admittedly is only two) has been less than exceptional, I'd choose the Bruckner second