What tuba gives the overall best characteristic sound?

[toobagrowl]

My response was meant to be funny. Alas.

Speaking of string quartets......I did "work study" during my college years. That involved doing stage crew work -- arranging/moving chairs & stands and operating house/stage lights. Anyway, on weekends I had to do "work study" (stage crew) for a pretty big-name string quartet. At the time they were "artists-in-residence" at my college. The intonation of that group used to almost drive me insane. I dreaded having to stay there backstage for the whole concert, listening to that funky intonation It was easy "work", though.


Keep the votes/replies coming

[toobagrowl]

--- edit --- the tuba that gives the best characteristic sound, is the one that has fallen into the hands of the best tuba player.

this...

^ The problem with that is "best tuba player" is subjective. We can overthink this whole thing, pick and choose this-or-that. But, once again......

In your opinion, what pitched tuba gives the overall best characteristic tuba sound. Choose BBb, CC, Eb or F. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Donn]

The problem with that is "best tuba player" is subjective.

Ooh, that would sure be a fatal flaw! Anything depending on subjective judgement would be practically useless, wouldn't it?

[pecktime]

"overall best characteristic tuba sound" This makes no sense and is not a good conversation starter.

Why don't you rephrase the question to: "What tuba makes the overall best sound" or "What tuba makes the most characteristic sound?" or even "what tuba makes the most tuba sound?" , then we would have an interesting thread.

[Mark E. Chachich]

In my opinion, if it is a tuba it is good!

I play the tuba because I like the tuba (not the F, E flat, CC, BB flat, etc.. I just like tubas!).
Mark

[Bob Kolada]

What viola gives the most characteristic sound?
You may select 1 option

○ One being thrown at a conductor
○ One being crushed in a trash compactor
○ One at the bottom of a large body of water
○ The one you last set on fire

Aflac!

[Bob Kolada]

Best sounding tubas to me? Big Holton Eb's and Miraphone 191's. Different sounds but when I hear/play them, bam!

[imperialbari]

Define a sting quartet:

A first violinist.
Someone who thinks they should be playing first violin.
Someone who thinks they should by playing violin.
And a 'Cellist.

Certainly a quartet with potentials for a sting.

[tokuno]

King sousaphone cut to CC w/a silent brass mute - hands down

reminds me . . . I've been meaning to place an order for a new set of bloke washers and a clip-on sousaphone hinge & arm extension for a wah-wah mute . . .

[b.williams]

I like the sound of a properly played 4/4 CC.

[Biggs]

At least you have a sense of humor. Cant say that about some of the banal "responses" here...

Hey, he who smelt it, dealt it, man.

Oh, sorry. Thought you said 'anal' responses.

[Rick Denney]

When I listen to Pokorny, it really doesn't matter whether he's playing his F tuba or a Bb--it is a highly characteristic sound. One is not "better" than the other.

When I listen to recordings of me playing any of these, I lament the lack of a highly characteristic sound, which is equally uncharacteristic on small and large tubas. One is not "worse" than the other. But people do not say, "Is that a tuba?" No, they say, "Who's that bozo?"

When I listen to the old recording of Michael Lind playing his relatively small Alex F tuba, the question "is he playing a tuba or a euphonium?" does not enter my mind. It is not as big a sound as a contrabass kaiser, but it's not a bassoon, either. And it's more appropriate for the music he's playing. I'll bet that when Herb Wekselblatt played his Bb in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, nobody thought, "Wow! That doesn't sound like a tuba at all!" What else can "characteristic sound" mean?

The reason you are getting pushback on this question is because it sounds like a C tuba player trying to justify a decision to play C.

Rick "calling it like he sees it" Denney

[PaulMaybery]

King sousaphone cut to CC w/a silent brass mute - hands down

Bloke, you nailed it. It definitely needs to be in "Silver", with Saturn water keys and an AGR. Heavy valve caps, with gold plate, would help with the centering and a dependent 5th valve. It would also have a bit more resonance if it were supported on a stand and not the player's shoulder. The player should also be wearing leather soles so as to not muffle those ambient vibrations as they pass to the floor.

Paul (who sometimes can not resist and just because he can - perhaps he shouldn't) Maybery

[barry grrr-ero]

None of the above. Only the C#/Db tuba has the 'best' characteristic sound.

[MikeW]

G, I don't know.

[chronolith]

I think I understand the spirit of the question.

But to answer it requires me to amalgamate all the BBb's I have played or heard into a single sound concept, all the CC's into a single concept... Eb's, F's... etc. It also requires me to amalgamate the highly characteristic sounds of all of the master tuba players I have learned to enjoy, and one bozo (me)... on each of the choices given. I then have to decide what style or styles of music qualify for consideration for the proper use of a characteristic tuba sound. And finally I have to reduce all the standard deviations to zero in terms of the variances that can apply (one player to another vs one brand to another vs one model to another vs one size X/4 to another, etc... in favor of one key to another). There are probably some other things I haven't even considered.

Only then could I attempt to produce what I could call my opinion, and like many of my opinions it probably is just not worth much to anybody.

I think the value of the question though is not in the opinion but in the differences of opinion of many tubenet members.

Not a bad question I think, but the answer may not have value at scale.

[toobagrowl]

^ Chronolith hit the nail on the head on what this poll/thread is about

Yes, there are many variables at play here. But you can narrow it down to one choice if you really want to.

Put it this way:

Take 12 different BBb tubas, 12 different CC tubas, 12 different Eb tubas, and 12 different F tubas. Which group of tubas likely have what you consider the overall best 'representative' tuba sound? It is all personal experience and opinion. So far, the contrabass BBb and CC tubas are the big favorites on sound

[GC]

Maybe the term should be "stereotypical" rather than "characteristic". Or maybe "what you prefer" over "what is best".