New playing settings, new horn?

[Gorilla Tuba]

Your current Allora BBb will probably work fine for now. I think the Meinl Weston 2145 is definitely a nice all around horn that is versatile and appropriate in many settings. However, the only reason I would see that switching would be a noticible benefit at this point is if you are sure that you will be switching to CC for college. It may be nice to get through the awkward "switch" before college. That being said, I think the best bet would be to save the money you would put towards a new horn in the bank and continue adding to that account until you actually arrive on a college campus. At that point, you can seek the recommendation of your teacher and actually have some money set aside to choose whatever tuba best suits you.

I have had more than a few students buy new tubas that are highly recommended on boards like this that just don't work well for them. Good horns, just not a good fit. For example, I brought a Conn 52J into the studio recently. A couple of my students sounded great on it... some didn't. Similarly, those same students who liked the Conn didn't really like the old standby Mirafone 186 that I brought in on trial. Just because I have success on my PT-6 doesn't mean its the right horn for you.

To wrap up this long-winded post, I recommend not worrying too much about your instrument. Make great music while you have so many opportunities to play in a variety of small ensembles. When you get to college in a few years, that may be a better time to consider purchasing a new horn. Even then, a decent 4/4 BBb like you have is still perfectly appropriate for many music majors... especially for those who are not performance majors.

[windshieldbug]

If you are able, why not just see what presents itself in the coming year, find out if you really need a new horn, and THEN make the decision, rather than try to anticipate so much. I would agree that if you can, learning CC as soon as you can will help you in the long run, but quite a bit can happen in two years, possibly invalidating all of your well-reasoned trouble. You sound like you've already got a good jump on things. You probably don't want to be in this same position again when looking at music schools. Concentrate on making MUSIC first, and let the other things come in their own time. IMHO