MidWest horns - any impressions?

[joh_tuba]

Sounds to me like the Perantucci line needed an answer to the Thor to regain some lost sales. The attribute of the Thor that most drives sales is the 'BBb hammer sound'.

I've not yet played the new B&S CC so this is purely conjecture. The PT-6 is remarkably in tune with even response and sound... one of the more 'perfect' tubas.. in the same vein as the venerated 186. I'll remain skeptical of any major redesigns until I've played it myself.

[TubaNerd88]

I currently own a Thor myself, and I can tell you that, from my experience with the 6/4 CC from B&S, they do not play the same. The sound is bigger, yes, but it does not have that "hammer sound" that has made the Thor so popular. It plays consistent, the notes are even throughout the register, and intonation is spot-on. You can get pretty nasty with it if you want to, but it's not as easy to do as it is on the Thor.

I can understand some people being skeptical of the horn especially since most people have not tried it out yet, as it was just brought into the public for the first time at the Midwest Clinic. I imagine it will be at future workshops though.

[TinyTubist97]

Got to try out almost all of the tubas there. I really liked the B&S F tubas, I liked the Pt-6 but I wasn't thinking about it for the next few days. The Meinl Weston Baer was awkward to hold but I would deal with for the sound that came out of the bell plus I could use my stand. The Meinl F tubas didn't stand out to me too much especially after trying out the Miraphone Petrushka which pretty much, along with the Baer, stole the show for me. I can't describe the low range (including low C) on this tuba! When playing the VW on it in the prelude on the passage starting on low F in the beginning it was like I got the resonance of a BBb or CC tuba (trust me, Ive learned the VW on BBb, CC, and F!) but without the clumsiness. I also liked the Shires and Edwards Bass and Tenor t-bones. Especially after playing on a school bass and a pbone. And almost forgot, the big mouth brass 6/4 was astounding! It was great and the dependent valve didnt make a difference to me (though my experience with 6/4s is limited).

[cbettler]

I was genuinely impressed by the overall quality of the tubas available at Midwest. It has been a long time since I've had the opportunity to try out a bunch of tubas, and for me this was my first time with several of the horns that are newer to the market. I think we are very fortunate to have such a variety of excellent tubas available to us. The offerings of Miraphone and Meinl Weston in particular were really outstanding. I used a Bobo Solo mouthpiece for all bass tubas, and both a CanBrass Arnold Jacobs and a Parke Ofenloch for contrabass tubas.

I spent most of the morning playing F tubas, and the afternoon playing BBbs and CCs (sorry, I did not get around to trying out any Ebs). Overall my favorite F was the MW 2250. The low range was solid, while the middle and upper register gave me a slightly warmer sound than I tend to get on my 822. It had great response and evenness of sound and pitch throughout the entire range, from pedals to screamers. A close second was the Miraphone Petruschka, which for me had an even better response in the low range than the 2250. For me however, the tone was a bit more rigid and one-dimensional. Overall I would still be happy with both tubas. I also really liked the PT-18, which had one of the best upper registers of any tuba I've ever played, and great response and tone in the middle and low registers as well.

For rotary Fs, I don't know what it was, but for me the PT-15 and JBL Classic at the Custom Booth did not seem like great representations of those tubas. I have played several PT-15s that were beautiful instruments and among the best Fs I have played, and this did not seem to be one of them. This was my first JBL, and it did not work well for me. I was also slightly underwhelmed by the regular Miraphone Bel Canto (181), finding the "solo" model (381) and the Firebird to be much better instruments.

I was thoroughly impressed with the MW CC tuba line. The Baer (6450/2) was definitely a monster horn with a huge sound while also very easy to play and control. I don't know that I would spend 25K for one, but it is unquestionably top of the line. The "Thor" was great as well, and I like the bigger bell on the newer models a whole lot. The real surprise for me was the 3450. While not tiny, it is definitely compact. However, it plays a ton bigger than its size suggests, and was (in my opinion), the best CC tuba I played all day. I thought the "Tuono" was okay, but I would definitely go with the piston version any day of the week. Miraphone had some great CCs as well, the stand-out for me being the "Bruckner" (291). It gives a great sound and would definitely lay down the foundation for a large ensemble. The 1293 was the first of its kind that I had played, and for me I prefer the 1292, although it was definitely a nice tuba. The 6/4 monster from BMB was a lot of fun. The sound was enormous, and the horn spoke easily in all registers. I would need some time to work out the intonation discrepancies, but for the price this is definitely worth considering. Unfortunately I did not make it back to the Custom booth, but it sounds like I really missed out on the new modified PT-6.

Finally, BBb tubas. I only played two, but wow! I am strongly considering switching my contrabass to a BBb. The best tuba I played all day was the Miraphone "Siegfried." This horn was amazing, capable of a tremendous amount of sound, and able to take everything I could give it. Equally, the response at the softer dynamics was wonderful and made the instrument easy to control. Intonation seemed spot on, and I loved this tuba. The MW "Fasolt" (196) was also a stellar instrument. It is gigantic as well, making me (I'm 6'4") seem small. However ergonomically it was still easy to hold. Great projection, but the response was not quite as quick as the "Siegfried." Both tubas were easily competitive with the (high) quality of the CCs.

All of that is just my opinion, and what worked for me. Again, I thought overall the quality of available tubas was outstanding. Also, thanks so much to all of the people working the various booths, who were all very friendly, knowledgeable, and patient.

[Mitch]

Yeah, joh_tuba, you'd be correct in noting your conjecture. The MRP-7 is nothing like a Thor. I own a Thor. The MRP-7 isn't even trying to be anything like a Thor. I had a chance to discuss it sufficiently and thoroughly with Mr. P - he and I were the only ones at the Custom booth when I was trying it.

As I mentioned in my previous post, the goal was a big rotary CC that had more of a feel of a BBb - those are the words as stated by Mr P. (And the discussion we had was quite genuine, so the BS meter never went off, nor did he say anything that I would approach interpreting as, "Yeah, man, we had to do something to keep up with the Thor.") It's not been that long since I was the owner of a 6/4 BBb (the Martin Monster sold on this board about a year ago), so I'd say mission accomplished. It still has a great core sound without being too woofy, as some large BBb's can be. The feel is different, the response is different. All good, but it just wouldn't even cross my mind to compare it to a Thor. Apples and pomegranates. It's different from a regular PT-6, as well. I was never a huge fan of the PT-6 (just the rotary); didn't think it was bad, it just wasn't my thing. The MRP version, though, ...if I win the lottery, I'm buying one. I wouldn't drop the Thor to get it, but if I had the cash to buy a bunch of horns just because I want them, it'd be on the list.

(I am not now, nor have I ever been, in any way affiliated with B&S, its partners, owners, or assigns.)

[NDSPTuba]

Anybody happen to have a pic of the new B&S 6/4 CC. I'd love to see it. As my internet search has come up fruitless.

[TubaNerd88]

Here's a picture of me trying out the MRP-CC Tuba. Sorry I don't have another shot of it, but you can somewhat get an idea of how the horn looks a little bigger than a PT-6.