Z-Tuba Dude wrote:How does the new (to you) King Giant play?
I think it plays great! To be fair, I can compare it to the 40K which is a very similar instrument.
The King plays like a badass sousaphone. It is nice and big with a beefy low range and a free flowing 4th valve. It gets loud really quick. It breaks up fairly easily if you push it, but even that isn't a horrible sound.
On the other hand the Conn plays like a wrap around tuba. It has a big nice sound. It also can get loud, but it stays solid and focused longer than the king. You can get it to go crazy, but it takes a lot of air. In all honesty, the Conn is a better horn of you want a carry around tuba.
However, the King wins the intangibles here. First off, that 28in bell is awesome. It does ring though (the Conn's bell does not). Also the King just sounds like a sousaphone...and belches nasty-awesomeness when you play it. The low notes really get the whole instrument rumbling when you get it warmed up.
The King's valves are really nice. I had the Jumbo valves replayed last year, and these are almost as good. This particular horn is in good shape. There are no major dents in any important areas, and what is there should be easy to remove. There are some road rash scuffs on the back side, but that is to be expected. The bracing seems solid, but there was some work done on the lead pipe that look a little questionable. After I gave the horn a good polish, it just looks fantastic. The engraving on the bell is great! I consider myself lucky to have acquired this horn. Along with the jumbo, I believe my sousaphone acquisition days are over....for now!
jc
