Neptune vs PT6 vs MRP

[bort]

Was just wondering, are the differences between these tubas *striking*, or more personal preference? I owned a Neptune briefly,and wish I had kept it a while longer. I know the PT6 and MRP are quite similar (and it seems like people prefer the MRP over the PT6), but are the differences really huge, or more like incremental improvements?

If nothing else, there are a few Neptunes for sale here, and this might be helpful for folks besides me...?

Thanks!

(PS, the best improvement beyond the Neptune for me would be "fits in my car." That 20.5" bell was the deal breaker for me, unfortunately.)

[bort]

Thanks Mark. To me, the Neptune is sort of a 6/4, but a little different. It has a gigantic bell, but the rest of the horn isn't quite as "BA" as other BATs. Either way, it's a huge tuba, and size classifications don't really matter.

I have interest in all 3 tubas, and have read reviews from a few years ago on the board here. Curious if they are all more similar than they are different.

My thoughts:
Neptune -- beautiful, easy to play, sounds nice, bell seems way too big (also doesn't fit in my car)
PT6 -- newer ones are plentiful (easy to find, but everyone has one) and can sound a bit vanilla, the good old ones are great but harder to find
MRP -- newer model, hard to find used or at any real significant savings over new. The few I have heard in action are incredible (although also played by incredible players!)

I'm probably rambling, having trouble organizing my thoughts!

[michael_glenn]

I love my PT-6. In my experience, the 6 has the best response, intonation and dexterity. The other two were good tubas. But the 6 was the easiest to control while still having a great breadth of sound and the presence I was looking for. Hope this helps! For what it's worth, mine is anything but vanilla.

[bort]

Thanks, Michael. Everything is helpful! Maybe "vanilla" is the wrong word, but sometimes I have found the sound to be a little less "distinctive" to listen to. Definitely a good tuba sound, but something to it that I can't identify. Perhaps it has to do with the American tuba design and genealogy?

[michael_glenn]

I find that the PT-6 is not a horn made for edge. It's just a warm, brass, double bass kind of sound.

[bort]

That is probably what I am trying to describe as well. I can't recall if there was much edge to the Neptune, but with a 20.5" bell, I don't recall it. The MRP probably wins out in this regard, then. The Neptune is just such a good looking tuba, though!

[bort]

Have you tried the piston-valve Chinese copy ?

2x dream come true!

[bort]

Bump... Any other thoughts?