all-round tuba? How?

[Badgley]

My $.02 worth.

All around Bb Tubas:
King 2341
MW 25
Mira 186, 187, and 191(maybe a little big)
Mira 1291
Yamaha 641

All around CC tubas:
MW 2145
Mira 186
Mira 1291
Yamaha 822
Rudy 45
Conn 52J and 56J
B&S PT 4
B&S PT 20
Besson 995

All around Eb Tubas:
Besson 982
Besson 983
Willson 3400
MW 2141
B&S PT 22

All around F Tuba: (We're pushing it here)
Willson 3200
Yamaha 822
MW 45SLP/Z

[Joe Baker]

You buy a cheap, old Eb for $100. Me I got suckered into $400. I am outraged!

Seriously, lots of people seem to have nice little Ebs which seem to be pretty cheap.


Or maybe a euphonium, I really don't know that piece.


Bob1062 (who uses vague language, like the word seem, to cover up his ignorance of any possible facts )

Don't know why a person would be 'outraged', I bet nobody forced payment at gunpoint. $400 is pretty decent for an old Eb unless it is total garbage. $100 is probably a wall-hanger or parts horn price. Buying an old Eb can be a good option sometimes.

Hmmm, I thought I read sarcasm between the lines on that comment. Could be wrong though; happens often enough, that's for sure!
____________________________
Joe Baker, who is so prone to error that he tries to always give others the benefit of the doubt.

[Donn]

You buy a cheap, old Eb for $100. Me I got suckered into $400. I am outraged!

Seriously, lots of people seem to have nice little Ebs which seem to be pretty cheap.

Don't know why a person would be 'outraged'

Hmmm, I thought I read sarcasm between the lines on that comment.

Or irony or something along those lines.

But about the seriously part, is he serious?. I consider myself among the owners of cheap nice Eb tubas, at $200, but nice is relative. I mean, it's a heck of a nice tuba, for $200. But I don't expect to see a big demand for little 3 valve Eb tubas with rackety worn pistons, for legit performance situations like operas and symphonies.

At any rate, Eb isn't very far up from CC, and an E above the bass clef is still up there in the creepy partials that are error prone and don't sound good. Wouldn't they both be in the 10th partial, the CC open and the Eb 1st & 2nd?

[Allen]

...............

But about the seriously part, is he serious?. I consider myself among the owners of cheap nice Eb tubas, at $200, but nice is relative. I mean, it's a heck of a nice tuba, for $200. But I don't expect to see a big demand for little 3 valve Eb tubas with rackety worn pistons, for legit performance situations like operas and symphonies.

At any rate, Eb isn't very far up from CC, and an E above the bass clef is still up there in the creepy partials that are error prone and don't sound good. Wouldn't they both be in the 10th partial, the CC open and the Eb 1st & 2nd?

At any rate, Eb isn't very far up from CC, and an E above the bass clef is still up there in the creepy partials that are error prone and don't sound good. Wouldn't they both be in the 10th partial, the CC open and the Eb 1st & 2nd?[/quote]

Yeah, "creepy partials" is a good term. On my CC tuba, E above the staff isn't in tune played open (10th partial). I have to finger it 12, using the 12th partial, making it easier to get the wrong partial. On my Eb tuba, (which meets the Eb tuba description above except add tons of dents), a decent E above the staff is based on the 9th partial, and fingered 2. It's much easier than on my CC.

Personally, I don't think that notes played up in the very high range -- where the tuba is turning into a megaphone rather than a resonator -- sound very good, no matter who plays them. Perhaps such a disloyal statement means that I'm not a true member of the tuba clan, but I think musical considerations are more important than showing that our instrument can do it. I would rather hear high notes played on a tuba that is still adding resonance -- which means only up to the 10th or 12th partial.

Cheers,
Allen

[Art Hovey]

Some years ago Gary Ofenloch described his experience at an audition in Europe. He started to play the Meistersinger on his CC tuba, and the committe objected because the part says "basstuba". So he played it on the F, although he had never tried that before. (Or so he said)

I have played it a couple of times with amateur orchestras, using a BBb tuba, which is my idea of an all-around tuba. My high E has always been a little dicey, but it's a lot easier to play when the whole orchestra is carrying you along!

[Chuck(G)]

I'll go on record here saying that there ain't no such thing as an "all around tuba". Sure, you make a tuba that wasn't made for a part do in a pinch, but that doesn't make it good.

Last night, at the break in quintet rehearsal, the subject of tubas came up and why I'm most often seen with an Eb when everybody else in town seems to have a BBb.

My response was that I most often play in quintet (or other small ensemble) and the Eb Bass part in brass band. I play what I think is the appropriate instrument for the occasion. If I played in concert band, I'd have a BBb or CC in my lap.

I demonstrated by doing the next chart in the rehearsal (at my home) on a really nice 5/4 Keefer BBb. Three measures in, you could see by the expressions that the guys weren't liking it. "Too heavy and woofy" were some comments.

I imagine that any cornet player worth his chops could play Eb soprano parts on a Bb, or a trumpet player play piccolo parts on his regular horn, but it would be the wrong sound.

Why should tubas be different?

One can play low on an F or Eb and high on a BBb or CC, but the sound is very different. Sure, one can use a very large Eb or F to simulate the sound of a CC or BBb or a small BBb or CC to simulate a the sound of an Eb or F, but the real thing will always sound better.

Or so I think.