All-Around CC tuba

[iiipopes]

When I get the leaks fixed, my Besson BBb 3-valve comp is as close as it gets. Yes, with a tuner, C, Db & D in the middle are DEAD ON, as well as everything else. I used to love sitting next to a guy with a CC and match him exactly, with me just blowing, and him pulling slides like, well.... The price you pay is that 2nd ledger line CC is stuffy from the return through the comp loops. That, and you're limited to lowest 123 E nat, because "false pedals" are basically non-existant.

But you want perfection in tuning, you have it in spades.

[MartyNeilan]

Plus, if you watch professionals, they move their slides like mad.....

Not in Chicago

[Jack Tilbury]

When it comes to slide pulling it’s good to remember that any decent trumpet player will constantly be kicking out the first or third valve slides when they play. The problem for us, of course, is that we have to pull those slides a lot more to get the same effect. I remember watching the guys in the Melton Tuba Quartet playing standing up while still managing to pull their slides to stay in tune.

[eupher61]

must not be any perfessionals in Chicago.

[BriceT]

Mira-1291!! It's a very good horn for the price. Make sure you play the 1292 "New Yorker."

[adam0408]

Is it going to be hard to grasp how a CC horn plays if I have only played BBb before, or will it still give me a general idea?....I'm not quite sure what to expect

Well, yes and no. As far as general "feel" goes, I think you will be able to get a good idea of the horn. Tuning and note accuracy are going to be hard to pin down. I would argue that it is pretty much impossible to tell how a horn will play the first few (or even twenty) times you pick it up, even when you are well versed in the key. I occasionally will pick up and play a tuba and think "wow, this is the best thing I have ever held. I want, I want." Then five minutes later I pick it up and find that it is a complete piece of trash. This is why it is important to ask the advice of others..... and your applied teacher.

My experience with playing a CC for the first time (incidentally when I was looking for my tuba as well) was a real head game. My lips were buzzing Bb and C was coming out. It was really strange at first. It was not at all what I expected.

Even though a tuba is a formidable investment, if you buy a good one, it will treat you well. Remember, its not the tuba that contains the music, its the player. So buy a tuba and go practice!

[kingrob76]

MW 2145 with the tweaks from the Baltimore Brass Company. They take a horn that never really interested me and make them into excellent horns.

Yesterday I had an opportunity to stop by the Baltimore Brass Company had drool over, er, play some of the new Meinl Westons that they have in stock. I arrived shortly before closing but Mr. Fedderly was kind enough to not throw me out immediately and allow me to play a few horns.

I specifically stopped by the shop because I wanted to play the 5450 (Thor) and 6450 (Baer) tubas. I thought both were excellent instruments but I cannot say I would recommend either horn as an all-around CC tuba. Specifically, I wouldn't want to have to play my jury or senior recital on either horn, but I would use either for any kind of ensemble work larger than a quintet. Excellent tubas but not all-around.

I was treated, though, to a "before and after" experience with a 2145 they had in stock. The first horn I played was Mr. Fedderly's own 2145 - Meinl Weston is now producing the 2145 with a lot of the changes he incorporated into the horn, but there are still some modifications BBC makes to them after they arrive. Then I played a 2145 before it had been modified in-house. I could feel the difference between the two horns and was less pleased with the unmodified horn. It felt uneven in comparison. Mr. Fedderly took that horn away to perform their modifications while I play tested the 5450 and 6450, then brought it back for me to play again.

It took exactly three notes for me to stop and comment on the improvement. The instrument was now more centered, more even across the different partials in terms of their response - much more "sameness" through the range of the horn, if you will. It felt better to play and sounded better as a result. I would have no problem using this horn on juries or recitals, never mind all the other kind of playing an undergrad would encounter.

If anyone is looking for an all-around CC tuba, I would strongly recommend these 2145's.

[bort]

I agree about the BBC/2145...I was in the shop last week and got to try it out. The response and sound were great! It was VERY easy to play too. Even with the rising cost of a NEW Meinl-Weston (in silver), this was well worth it.

[Unfortunately, Mr. Fedderly wasn't in the shop that day, so I didn't get quite the same side-by-side experience. Fortunately, the shop is less than 10 miles from my house, so I get another shot at it. ]

[mTaUrBkA]

I guess during some of the long weekends next fall I'll hafta do soem driving and get out there and try some stuff out

[Steve Inman]

Although I have not played the modified 2145's discussed above, I did recently play several CC's at WWBW and TubaDome. The 2145 struck me as a great quintet horn -- an ideal quintet horn, with the capability to also be used in larger groups. Perhaps it could be considered an all-around horn, but I thought it would be too small to be an ideal choice to put a good bottom end on a larger group if I were the only tuba. I would prefer, personally, to have something that was "technically" a bit too big for quintet, in order to have a bit broader sound for a larger group. Of course, if you factor in solo playing, the 2145 would probably have to be THE choice for best all-around CC. But I never consider a CC to be THE ideal solo tuba, so I don't consider that scenario at all when trying to determine the best "all-around" CC.

Something like Conn 52J, Miraphone 188, Miraphone 1292, etc. is what I'd be thinking about.

Cheers,

[mTaUrBkA]

Thanks for the input everyone! I just wanted to get my foot in the door...