Any news from NAMM?

Bandmaster · Post by **Bandmaster** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 5:17 pm

sbring wrote:
Bandmaster wrote:I had a "Sanders Custom" tuba for a couple of years and it was a copy of the Miraphone 191. It played good except for a problem with "popping" when sluring.
I have this very problem on one of my tubas. What might cause it?

Sven

I couldn't figure it out, that's why I sold it. I had the valves vented thinking that would help, but it only marginally helped. The second valve popped very noticably and it made it hard to play slurred passages cleanly. I asked around and could find any answers that made any sense.

poomshanka · Post by **poomshanka** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 11:02 pm

Chuck(G) wrote:Isn't that big Holton BBb just a rebadged Yamaha YBB-321?

They sure do look the same to me. I can't make out the inscription on the Holton, but if it's a "Collegiate" model, then yes - they're being stenciled by Weril.

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 1:13 pm

And again, for that matter, Bach piston low brass also looks like stencil Yamaha. Compare the tubas, especially!

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 1:31 pm

Are Kanstul and King the only domestic US producers of tubas?

Sigh. With the way US manufacturing is going, I suspect that this will soon be the Ford Camel:

Barney · Post by **Barney** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 4:05 pm

Here's a GREAT report from NAMM:

http://forum.samburtis.com/viewtopic.ph ... hlight=url

SplatterTone · Post by **SplatterTone** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 6:09 pm

Are Kanstul and King the only domestic US producers of tubas?

The "Big 3" are going in on a joint venture to make tubas. Fischer Body will make the majority of it; Chrysler will produce the "Hemi" valves.

And Ford will add some component that will eventually burst into flames.

jacobg · Post by **jacobg** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 6:30 pm

Chuck(G) wrote:Isn't that big Holton BBb just a rebadged Yamaha YBB-321?

They've been doing that for years. I have one from the 80's, identical to these pictures except without the flip in the 3rd valve slide. It has a Holton medallion on the tuning slide and a Yamaha-like serial number on the second valve (starts with 00).
Mine is bb340r, the 4 valve convertable model (why does this exist?!?).

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 6:34 pm

The Conn 5XJ series are modified King 1241's. The sousaphones may be made in the USA, although the Jupiter fiberglass is the exact same design as the pre-UMI Kings, and may be subcontracted out.

I emailed J. Michael. Until they get a distributor in place, they will sell direct for retail + shipping.

poomshanka · Post by **poomshanka** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 7:25 pm

Barney wrote:Here's a GREAT report from NAMM:

http://forum.samburtis.com/viewtopic.ph ... hlight=url

Great post - thanx for the link.

...D

Shockwave · Post by **Shockwave** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 9:37 pm

poomshanka wrote: The sound has been described like a volume knob. Play something balls-out, then play the same thing soft, and it just sounds like someone turned down the volume. The character of the sound doesn't change at all. Unlike some BATs I've played that tub and woof out when played soft, this thing never changes.

I guess I'd have to hear it, but seems like it would be boring to listen to a tuba that sounds exactly the same on any note, high or low, loud or soft. You won't know whether the tuba is getting louder or getting closer. Remember when people were complaining that synthesizers were going to replace instruments? Now it sounds like they are making an instrument to replace a synthesizer!

-Eric

WilliamVance · Post by **WilliamVance** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 11:59 pm

Barney wrote:Here's a GREAT report from NAMM:

http://forum.samburtis.com/viewtopic.ph ... hlight=url

I especially liked the references to "Monica" and her name...

poomshanka · Post by **poomshanka** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 3:39 am

Shockwave wrote:I guess I'd have to hear it, but seems like it would be boring to listen to a tuba that sounds exactly the same on any note, high or low, loud or soft. You won't know whether the tuba is getting louder or getting closer. Remember when people were complaining that synthesizers were going to replace instruments? Now it sounds like they are making an instrument to replace a synthesizer!

Apparently my observations left room for misinterpretation - my bad. Allow me to clarify...

This tuba is not an on/off switch, i.e. it doesn't just "do its thing" regardless of who's playing it. It is, instead, the shortest distance I've ever experienced between what's "in my ear" and what comes out of the bell. Boring? Hardly. Loud/soft? Sure. "Getting closer"? Uhh, I guess if the player's moving back-n-forth on the stage? Not sure what to make of that acoustical requirement.

IMHO one of the best playing *and* sounding tubas I've ever experienced, if not *the* best. Subjective interpretation? Sure, why not? I'm not speaking here on anyone else's behalf but my own (and no, I'm not shilling for Yamahooters!).

Although I didn't spend hours with the axe, I'd have to say that in the 15 miuntes or so I played it, I found out some things I really liked. The sound is, to my ear, capable of being very exciting - a great blend of heat and breadth. From a feel standpoint, it seemed quite responsive to everything I asked it to do.

By saying the sound retained all of its character regardless of volume is, IMHO, a pretty big plus. Personally, I don't want to feel like my horn should be named Sybil - one way high, another low, this way loud, another way soft, oh and those notes get a little wolfy, and... you get the idea. The 826 responds favorably to different types of input, and you can shade/color the sound pretty easily. That's obviously within the context that it's a BAT, i.e. you might find some challenges in making it sound like a Miraphone 184... although it almost plays as easily as one. In a certain sense, you might even say there's a nice neutrality to the horn, in that it's going to interpret what you're putting into it pretty accurately.

Program a synthesizer to do certain things, and it will precisely execute down to the Nth degree. I don't necessarily think that to be "human" you have to be sloppy. Precision's not such a bad thing, is it? Always nice to know that when the light's on, your horn won't be tripping you up.

Ahh, yes - semantics. How to put words to a sound, or a feel. Not much about this horn to not like.... except maybe the price.... and the availability.... but that's another story...

...Dave