NAMM: Favorite horns?

[bisontuba]

For those of you who have already gone to NAMM, what are your favorite horns?

[Kevin_Iaquinto]

Meinl Weston Ursus. Amazing horn, the best horn there imo. Got a chance to play the Eastman C tuba, fantastic as well.

Apparently this is the only Ursus in the states right now.

[bort]

...besides Al's!

[Kevin_Iaquinto]

...besides Al's!

I should have mentioned that I took this with a moderately sized grain of salt after someone at the booth called a left hand 6th valve a 'trill key'.

[bort]

The scale (tuning) is pretty good with the 3225 (played it at Midwest), and it does remind me of the 606.
I couldn't quite warm it up to A=440 (something like A=439 for me...all warmed up and the slide all the way in), but (maybe?) it's another one of those tubas that certain mouthpiece interior shapes will slightly raise the overall pitch level a few hundredths of a semitone.

Wild guess... pop in a G&W Baer MMVI and it'll play up to pitch.

[Ace]

As Bort and Joe state, certain mouthpiece configurations can help with pitch problems. Example, in the 1990's when I received my new Meinl Weston 2445, I put in my PT-50 and was shocked------the open bugle was really flat. I thought, "Oh no, I'll have to return this tuba." Before repacking, I decided to try the mouthpiece shipped with the horn. It was a Melton 24 AW. The horn immediately came up to pitch. Manufacturers know. (BTW, I seem to remember reading somewhere that Fletch played on a 24 AW.)

Ace

[bort]

^ Definitely, and with some horns more than others.

My post was mostly a jab, that if Al was the one who designed the Ursus, I'd bet it was optimized for his playing and his mouthpiece. Similar to how Warren Deck made a horn that worked for him, which would be for sale for "you."

Kind of makes you wonder, many years from now, what Baer's successor will do... build his/her own instrument again?

[marccromme]

Wild guess... pop in a G&W Baer MMVI and it'll play up to pitch.

Which pitch? a=440Hz? ... then it will still be 2Hz flat for my Brass band and my former convert band, both playing at 442Hz. Actually, I think new instruments should play a=443Hz with all slide pushed in, and be tunable down to a=440Hz without discomfort. Otherwise, I can't use them ...

[bort]

I meant 440... or whatever NY Phil uses. Point is, if Baer built it, I'm sure it'll do what he needs it to do, with his equipment, just fine.

[bisontuba]

As Bort and Joe state, certain mouthpiece configurations can help with pitch problems. Example, in the 1990's when I received my new Meinl Weston 2445, I put in my PT-50 and was shocked------the open bugle was really flat. I thought, "Oh no, I'll have to return this tuba." Before repacking, I decided to try the mouthpiece shipped with the horn. It was a Melton 24 AW. The horn immediately came up to pitch. Manufacturers know. (BTW, I seem to remember reading somewhere that Fletch played on a 24 AW.)

Ace

Warren played on a 24AW too....

[Kevin_Iaquinto]

Went back to the convention today. Spent some time with ALL of the F tubas that Buffet Crampon brought...

The 2250P (pearson) was amazing. It was really rock solid in all registers. Wasn't stuffy at all, 1345 was very clear and I could get a good volume out of it.

Spent some time on a 6/4 Adams horn. Not much to say about it, it was a fine horn, but I didn't really care for it.

The Ursus was still the best C tuba at the show imho.

[MKainuma]

I've had my MW Ursus for a few months now, and primarily use a GW Baer MMVI, and have used other mouthpieces as well (GW Bayamo; Tilz WH-B2 (thanks, Brett ). For A=441, with the MMVI and Bayamo, main slide is out about 3/4". With the Tilz, I push in from there; am pulled out about 1/3".

[bort]

(thanks, Brett )

Glad you like it! I forgot you had an Ursus as well. I guess the one at NAMM is the only unsold one in the country, then?

Next time I'm back in NYC, I hope there will be an Ursus in the Buffet showroom to try out. From the beginning it's sounded like a pretty slick tuba, and if both Alan AND Morris have one, it must be incredible!

[Ferguson]

I played a number of very nice tubas at NAMM.

Eastman 632 piston CC and several rotary BBb
John Packer UK rotary BBb and piston Packbrunner CC
Wisemann M900 CC, piston F, and bass trombone
Tiger/Cool Winds plastic BBb tuba
Kanstul BBb travel tuba

These tubas all offer a lot for the money. I'll look forward to seeing more of them.

-F

/Miraphone does go to NAMM to meet with dealers. (They just don't bring any tubas.)
//I don't think they seek many more dealers.
///Also two Socal stores stock Miraphone tubas.

[opus37]

I played a number of very nice tubas at NAMM.

Eastman 632 piston CC and several rotary BBb
John Packer UK rotary BBb and piston Packbrunner CC
Wisemann M900 CC, piston F, and bass trombone
Tiger/Cool Winds plastic BBb tuba
Kanstul BBb travel tuba

These tubas all offer a lot for the money. I'll look forward to seeing more of them.

-F

/Miraphone does go to NAMM to meet with dealers. (They just don't bring any tubas.)
//I don't think they seek many more dealers.
///Also two Socal stores stock Miraphone tubas.

I was not aware that Kanstul made a travel tuba. Maybe you mean Wessex?

[chhite]

Nope. Kanstul makes a travel tuba that fits into a suitcase. If you have Facebook, check out their photos from last year's NAMM show and ITEC. The Aero CC is pictured in a yellow Samsonite suitcase. I was not aware that they had produced a BBb.

[Bob Kolada]

https://m.facebook.com/kanstulfactory/p ... &source=42" target="_blank


Presumably this. You don't need facebook to look at their page.

[Bob Kolada]

https://m.facebook.com/kanstulfactory/p ... &source=42" target="_blank


https://m.facebook.com/kanstulfactory/p ... &source=42" target="_blank

[barry grrr-ero]

"I seem to remember reading somewhere that Fletch played on a 24 AW"

You have to remember that this was BEFORE Dennis Wick started making tuba m.p.'s. The 24AW became 'the standard' for those who were playing 'Fletcher-ized' Boosey & Hawkes EEb tubas (19" bell; bigger lead-pipe; the standard "Parker" cut on back branch). John Fletcher also used a Conn 7B Helleberg as well. There wasn't anywhere nearly as much selection and nuance in tuba m.p.'s in the 'pre-computer' days.

[bort]

That's pretty big for a travel tuba! How much does it weigh?

I have to get out there sometime to bitch and complain to them to make a #*@!ing rotary tuba!