My thoughts on Namm

[Jose the tuba player]

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[Jose the tuba player]

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[WilliamVance]

Thanks for posting. So nothing was great??

[Jose the tuba player]

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[Pat S]

Sounds like you got to play a large assortment of instruments, which is a plus. Finding a collection of tubas to try in your average brick and mortar music store is a challenge.

[Lee Stofer]

I am not surprised at all by your comments. If there was a large market of people and school systems out there with plenty of money and the desire to buy professional model tubas, they would be on the shelf in every music store around, and the NAMM and other shows would be a wonderland of manufacturers and fine instruments.

The economy is bad all over the US, schools systems' budgets have dried up, and people just do not have the disposable income that they used to in the US. So, when people aren't buying the big ticket items, companies respond by not building them, or by going to markets that are buying. It seems to me that the used instrument market is stronger than ever these days in the US and elsewhere, as I'm selling here and overseas.

If you want to see more fine new instruments, go to a music show in Asia. The quality may be lacking in much of their production, but China is the new economic superpower. I understand that Rudolf Meinl is selling many more instruments in Asia than here, and also in Russia. I have a suspicion that Kanstul is selling a lot of instruments outside of the US, also.

[Jose the tuba player]

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[Jose the tuba player]

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[Steve Marcus]

Jose,

If this is the "biggest" tuba to which you were referring,

https://docs.google.com/a/pianofortechi ... E4Y0E/edit

it looks like Kanstul's Model 5450/5433 5/4 "The Grand" CC/BBb, which has been available for at least a year.

Perhaps the "hush hush" new addition is the cimbasso that you played? In what key is it built?

[Jose the tuba player]

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[Jose the tuba player]

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[Jose the tuba player]

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[Reptilian]

Jose,

If this is the "biggest" tuba to which you were referring,

https://docs.google.com/a/pianofortechi ... E4Y0E/edit

it looks like Kanstul's Model 5450/5433 5/4 "The Grand" CC/BBb, which has been available for at least a year.

Perhaps the "hush hush" new addition is the cimbasso that you played? In what key is it built?

yes
and no the cimbasso Eb/F i played was a jinbao which i don't recommend, there was no cimbassos there.
. i met a guy who's teacher is the artist for kanstul, he said last time he went they were working on a CC cimbasso, is that what you were referring to?

Thank you for the write-up. Was that new wrap Kanstul Grand CC or BBb with that tall top bow?

[Reptilian]

^^^ N/M I saw in the other thread that it is indeed the BBb

[Bandmaster]

I went to the NAMM Show this afternoon after one of the band's I play in performed a concert at Disneyland at noon. I figured I was so close it would be foolish not to go. Luckily I have a way to get a press pass anytime I need it.

This was the smallest display of tubas at the show in a number of years, so I was somewhat disappointed. Kantsul had the largest display of tuba by far, but then their factory is only a few blocks away from the convention center. Their tubas continue to improve. They had a specially upgrade new 5/4 CC Grand tuba here today and were asking players to evaluate it against a stock model. The upgraded tuba definitely played better to me. The York models still play very well.

I had two very pleasant surprises today that Jose didn't mention. Eastman had two horns that Jose apparently missed. A BBb copy of the King 2341 and a prototype CC 5-valve version of the same. Both played VERY well, and I mean VERY well. Their BBb clone plays better than the King 2341 that Conn had in their booth. Their salesman said that Steve Call was so impressed that he had asked about buying one. Their sousaphone still has a few bugs that need working out. When I gave it a little extra air the tone spread, it can't seem to handle the pressure.

The biggest surprise to me, a devout BBb player (I never liked playing CC back in college), was the new BBb tuba that Adams had in their booth. In my opinion it played fantastic! Better than all the rest at the show, hands down. And since I had just come from playing my Holton 345 in a concert a couple hours earlier, I feel that it played better than my Holton. For me that is saying something! It is much smaller than my Holton but it's resonance is superb with good intonation, and it sounds twice as bigger as it is! Just very free and easy to blow, extremely efficient. But it is a bit pricy at $15,000.

The big Fafner at the B&S booth played very nice but was not special. The St. Petersburg tubas at the Tuba Exchange display played better than the St. Pete's I had played in the past, so it seems that improvements have been made. But again nothing special in my book. The Jupiter folks had the same old stuff they had a couple years ago, nothing new or special. The Chinese importers did not have very many tubas on display. And sadly, Big Mouth Brass did NOT attend the show. I was looking forward to playing their new 6/4 horns.

[Jose the tuba player]

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[Pat S]

I

The biggest surprise to me, a devout BBb player (I never liked playing CC back in college), was the new BBb tuba that Adams had in their booth. In my opinion it played fantastic! Better than all the rest at the show, hands down. And since I had just come from playing my Holton 345 in a concert a couple hours earlier, I feel that it played better than my Holton. For me that is saying something! It is much smaller than my Holton but it's resonance is superb with good intonation, and it sounds twice as bigger as it is! Just very free and easy to blow, extremely efficient. But it is a bit pricy at $15,000.

Adams is developing quite a good reputation in the euphonium world for the quality of their horns, so I'm glad to see they're reaching out to the tuba community as well.

[pjv]

Was the Adam's tuba their MTB1 Series Marching Tuba?
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/brass-in ... g-bbb-tuba" target="_blank

Strangely enough, I can't find this product on their very own site.
http://www.adams-music.com/wf/instruments/tuba/" target="_blank

[Jose the tuba player]

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[pjv]

OK, but I'm not in the market for a marching tuba. I was just curious if this is what Bandmaster played on at Namm.