Cerveny vs. Miraphone,B&S, ...

[awt13a]

Hi!
A year ago I switched from bass-trombone to B-tuba.
Currently I play a Melton 18 which is owned by my band.
I would like to buy a used tuba and think of a B&S 55, Miraphone 91A or a Cerveny 693/793.
In the past I heared that the finish and the quality in general of Cerveny instruments is not as good as the other leading brands. Is this still the true or can I also buy a Cerveny without being disappointed?
Waiting for your comments.

Thanks
Michael

[TheHatTuba]

You won't be disappointed with the GR51/55. A BBb Thor/Tuono...

[bort]

If you can find a used Cerveny, that makes the most sense in terms of cost. The new ones are nice, but the price is nearly as high as the German brands, and to me, not *quite* worth it. The big thing for me is that the Cerveny is made of thinner metal, and has more resonance, but less projection than the other brands.

These are pretty huge generalizations, and other people may have other experiences.

[bigtubby]

yeah, they are thin, no doubt

but then again, I've used nothing but a gig bag for the last 18 years with my piggy, and it still looks pretty darn good! Like anything else, it's how you take care of them

She's a beauty for sure! (stuck in BBb land) Does anyone have opinions of the *83 BBb "Arion" models?
Edit
By "*83" I mean CBB483, CBB683, CBB783 and CBB883. For some reason all of the US retailers show photos of CBB686 tubas. Sort of like Schiller, would you buy an expensive instrument from an outfit that couldn't tell the difference?

Cerveny CBB683 ^^^

[Davidus1]

If you can find a nice Cerveny 693 or 793, you will not be disappointed. The key is to try before you buy. There are some really great Cerveny Tubas out there and some that make great wall decorations... The nice 693/793s have a fantastic sound and decent intonation. I used to own a 693 that I really wish I had back in my possession.

Completely agree. I owned a 693 and it was a really nice horn. It is huge! Be sure you want a horn that large. It was a great horn and really worked well in a concert band setting. Too much for quintet work in my opinion but if you can only have one horn you just have to make choices. I've also owned two other Cerveny tubas (CC and another Bb). Both were really nice instruments as well. Good luck in your search!

[EMC]

Honestly I've never tried a Cerveny that I didn't like, but Ive also heard not so great things about them. Either way as said before it really does depend on you and how you play, preferences, ect. So definitely spend a few hours on a horn before you decide to buy, good luck !

[J.c. Sherman]

I finally went to Dillon Music for the first time to try tubas made in this century I have to say the two best tubas I played were the Thor and the B&S GR51... Same bugles, different interpretations. For me, the main argument for a CC is the ease of playing The Ride, and the GR51 had no difficulties at all. Right now, I'm trying to figure out if there's any reason to pay double the cash for 2 feet less tubing

GR51 is now my favorite modern BBb... Bar none!

[swillafew]

Right now, I'm trying to figure out if there's any reason to pay double the cash for 2 feet less tubing

I have the GR51, I like the intonation.

[J.c. Sherman]

I did too, though on my highly modified 641 I didn't need to use alternates on D and C#... Another tiny problem, though that might improve with mouthpiece choice.

[Heavy_Metal]

Bloke, I've heard the Easter Hymn more times than I'll ever remember. That was the best rendition I've heard to date. Thanks much for posting this!

[Heavy_Metal]

Excellent! If I lived in the Memphis area, I'd come just for the music. That was always my favorite part of church.

Yes, that is a powerful organ, and the organist is equal to the instrument. Even listening to a recording you can feel it. But you all balance the organ, choir and orchestra very well. Somewhere up above, Monsieur Saint-Saens ought to be smiling.

[The Big Ben]

Most excellent.

The strongest building needs a strong foundation…

[Steve Marcus]

...what the Mighty Thor can do at 8:30 in the mornin'...The thing is this...That's a very powerful organ...yet the 5450 prevails.

Indeed. A little (no, a lot) has to do with who's steerin' that 5450, and (no promotion meant here) the mouthpiece, but that does not diminish the quality of that Thor. I have not heard the tuba as prominent in any other recording or live performance (including my own) of O Clap Your Hands as this one. It's prominent for the right reasons. Sooo nice, Bloke.

Whose arrangement of Jesus Christ is Risen Today is that? Richard Webster?

[Heavy_Metal]

So had you all played/sung those before? It sounds even more amazing if you only rehearsed those pieces in a 50-minute session and had never played them before. I say again, those are the best renditions I've heard of those tunes, no one is overbalanced, and the tuba is right where it should be. Great horn, played very well.

Do you play on any of the other Memphis Second Presbyterian videos that are on YouTuba?

[royjohn]

Bloke,

Those excerpts are really wonderful. You and the tuba and the orchestra and the recording engineer really have something going! Great playing!

I wonder how you think about getting the sound out promptly. . . do you just concentrate on nailing the beat or on getting out a hair early or ???

Thanks for posting these!

[GC]

Superb, Bloke.

[bort]

That's a lot of tuba sound! How much of the volume is because of the mic placement and effects of the recording? Don't get me wrong, the playing is great, and it sounds nice (especially to a tuba player), but to my ears, I mostly hear tuba, singing, and a bit of shimmer from the violins, with some highlights here and there from the rest of the group. I'm sure that being there live was much different though. I also wonder if this is "more appropriate" since it's a church orchestra, where the loudness of the tuba is reminiscent of the organ pedals? I'm not sure, my church doesn't have an orchestra, only an organ (with very loud pedals).

Either way, nice recordings, thanks for sharing!

Side note -- it almost reminds me of a recording from a concert I played in about 5 years ago, where the "sound guy" (definitely not a sound engineer) put the mic almost at the end of my bell (which I didn't know until after the concert). The recording was ridiculous -- it was me, plus a background band. It sounds like I'm playing as loud as I possibly can to bury everyone, when in fact I'm just playing normally, but have the only mic almost in my bell. Again -- it almost reminds me of this, but the recording I was part of was really just stupid. Your recording sounds nice.