Comparing Neptune to PT-6

[bort]

Meinl Weston doesn't have a good track record for producing tubas with dead guys' names on them.

No Bill Bell model
No Culbertson Neptune
No Deck 2165*

*Ok, Warren is alive and well, but not playing anymore. You get the point.

Seems like MW wants to slap big valves and player names on any horn in sight.

[bort]

I did. Whoops

[Wyvern]

That's the point. I imagine B&S sold more 2165/2265/6450 horns (higher price tag, too) than the Neptune.

At the time I picked up my Neptune from the B&S factory several years ago on enquiringly it was indicated to me they were then only made about four Neptune per year - so quite low production. That contrasted with seeing what must of been 20 Fafner in production at one time going around the Meinl Weston factory.

[joh_tuba]

OH!

One possibly noteworthy feature unique to the Neptune(possibly no other tuba?) is the double-sleeved tubing on the main tuning slide.

It's basically an over-engineered 'reverse' tuning slide like that popular on some trumpets.

I've often wondered how much differently(i.e. like the Neptune), if at all, a PT6 would play if fitted with the Neptune top-entry leadpipe.

[txba]

For what it's worth - between me and my tuba friend roommates our CC tubas are two PT-6's (both rotors) and a Rotor Neptune and a Piston Neptune(mine). We've spent sometime playing each others horns (as you could imagine with that line up!). While I'm very happy with my Neptune and have no plans to sell or trade it, I will say that if I was on the market for a new CC tuba I would go for the PT-6. Someone on this thread posted that the "PT-6 is more 'point and shoot' regarding intonation, and its size makes it more versatile than the Neptune" I totally agree with this and that's the same experience I've had with these tubas. What puts the PT-6 over the Neptune for me is the pitch on all the 6's I've played is great, where the Neptune takes some figuring out. I have to pull slides quite a bit on my Piston, and with the rotor I found myself getting real friendly with the second valve kicker they put on them. Also, I think the PT-6 has a level of clarity in the sound that the Neptune's don't have making the 6 a little more "well rounded." All that being said I do love the Neptune sound! To me it's a sound that can move mountains, and I often get complements on the big sound of the horn. So I guess it's all in what your looking for in a tuba. I really really like both of these tubas and I don't think you could go wrong with either one. Just my 2 cents!

[joh_tuba]

Someone on this thread posted that the "PT-6 is more 'point and shoot' regarding intonation, and its size makes it more versatile than the Neptune" I totally agree with this and that's the same experience I've had with these tubas.

This is almost certainly the calculation many others have made as well.

This *might* not hold as true as it once did with all the newer offerings of the last few years but for a good long while the PT6 was the largest horn to offer 'point and shoot' intonation and a '6/4esque' sound.

While the PT6 might have marginally better clarity than the Neptune, I've always found the rotor PT6 very 'liquid'. Despite owning mine for nearly twenty years there have been many days when the ease of consistent clarity offered by other instruments has really tempted me to make a change.

[bisontuba]

Wisemann has the body...now if they just put a rotor section on their 900.....hmmm...