What's your favorite tuba?

[Donn]

Conn 40K sousaphone.

[1895King]

My ca. 1900 King BBb.

[Arthur]

Conn 25J

Ditto on this one from another Dan

I'm with the Dan's on this one. I'll take the BAT

[TubArild]

My Ruby 5/4

[Ulli]

My Wessex Mahler CC

[Ulli]

and for other jobs

My F tuba Cerveny Harmonia CFB 654-6

[WC8KCY]

Alexander 163 CC.

I ordinarily don't much care for CC tubas, but after playing on a friend's '60s-vintage 163; I must say in all honesty that it is the most delightful tuba that I've ever played. If I had the spare cash, one would be in my studio.

[ATschetter]

My Hirsbrunner HB-21

[tofu]

185

Tommy Johnson, Jim Self & Roger Bobo all used theirs a lot.

Great all around horn. Nothing records better. You don't want to hold down a large group with one, but that is really it's only limitation in competent hands.

[hbcrandy]

The tuba that works best for the music I am playing at the time.

[arminhachmer]

My Alexander 163 BBb. Sweet to my ears.

[opus37]

The tuba that works best for the music I am playing at the time.

I have 8 tubas in my "collection". If I had to reduce that to one, the last tuba standing would be my Kanstul 66. It works for everything I play and except for marching and outdoor gigs and Tuba Christmas (because of the high probability of damage) it does everything I want it to do. I guess I "need" to keep an old helicon too.

[toobagrowl]

Well, I have a "top 3 tubas" -- 2 Holton Eb's and a M-W CC. I've done mod work on all of them.

I had something all typed out for my "top 3 tubas" and realized I have utilized my 4v FrankenHolton Eb on more "varied" gigs than my other two tubas over the past year
So, right now, it is my overall favorite tuba. Plus I put a LOT of work into making it. It is a funky looking tuba -- along the lines of Tabor's Frankentubas. I need to take pics of it sometime......I'm such a slack-***

[SousaWarrior9]

Conn 25J

Ditto on this one from another Dan

I'm with the Dan's on this one. I'll take the BAT

Another second for the big Conn 2XJ series tubas. I just got my hands on a 20J the other day and it is by far the most round and powerful sound I've gotten out of any tuba. (And without all of those intonation problems that Conn BATs are 'known for')

[EdFirth]

I've been playing professionally since 1970, just recently retired, and have accumulated a number of really good horns for different plying situations. If the house was on fire I'd grab two since I have two hands. My big King rotary Bb with it's big dark American Alexander sound, great pitch, and silent string linkage valves, and my Sam Gnagey King/York C which is so easy to play that a caveman could(and does) play it. The others will slowly be making their way to the For Sale section of this forum. It'll be tough to part with them but it's shame to see them siting unplayed. Ed

[Tom Coffey]

Piggy.

[k001k47]

Piggy.

[southtubist]

A lot of guys here seem to like an Alex. I think my Alex 163 might be one of the best tubas I've played, and it's definitely "better" than my F tuba. However, I bought the Alex right when I burned out on music and quit practicing regularly.

I guess I like my F tuba more because it has more sentimental value to me.

[Rick Denney]

Today, it's a Hirsbrunner HBS-193.

But I'm fickle.

Rick "tomorrow it will be a B&S PT9, and the day after that, who knows?" Denney

[roweenie]

My York 712, in BBb.

Other horns have come and gone, but I've had that one since my sophomore year at conservatory, and will most likely have to be pried from my cold, dead hands.