Most underrated tubas

Blake Dowling · Post by **Blake Dowling** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 11:30 pm

you guys are lucky or conversly i'm unlucky, because i've never come across a St. Pete that I really liked. The one's I've played would be excellent middle school horns or good high school horns but not beyond that.

Blake Dowling · Post by **Blake Dowling** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 11:40 pm

I wanted to like them (always had a preference for silver) but back in high school they got one and i got to use it and was stuck with it through out junior and senior year. it wasn't terrible i just vastly preferred the sound of the school's Yamaha rotor BBb's.

ken k · Post by **ken k** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 12:31 am

you don't hear much about piggy's these days. They were the flavor of the 70's. I always like them. You had to be picky and try it out before you got one because sometimes the intonation could be difficult, but they always seemed to play bigger than they appeared. Another neat little horn is the Meinl Weston 18, the handy model.

ken k

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 8:54 am

A St Pete is NOT underrated. I've played them. They are exactly where they are.

pierso20 · Post by **pierso20** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 10:00 am

I think calling the Pete's....or any horn with a "bad reputation" underrated is a difficult thing to do.

personally, I liked my Pete. The only real complaint I had was it's Bright sound (versus the "dark" sound that is promoted)

I guess I would STILL think the Pete is underrated. Just because a few examples have been played, does not mean we should dismiss the horn. This is exactly WHY I would consider it underrated.

Plus, I've played several examples of several horns and found I didn't quite like them. Like the pt-6 for example.
While a Pete obviously can't compete with a lot of horns, it definetely can hold its own when a GOOD player get behind it.

Plus, the horn has some nice note centers...at least mine did

TubaSteve · Post by **TubaSteve** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 10:01 am

I will offer up the Mieinl Weston M-25 BBb. One other here posted it, but did not get any reply. I have one, and have two other fellow players who have them, and they are solid horns. I will say that what I have experienced, the 25 is certainly the equal to the Miraphone 1864u. Well built horns, big full sound, classic German styling. Many of the horns here are hardly underrated as they are talked about all the time, but the 25 gets very little attention on this site, and that's too bad.

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 1:21 pm

I agree with the same general tone. But the one I tried out in the stable of the local university, which was in good shape and well maintained, seemed to take more work to play than does my Miraphone. The best I can describe is that it felt "stiffer" overall. Not "stuffy," but "stiff." But again, a good tuba.

I will definitely agree it is not as popular as some other M-W models, probably from being overshadowed by the 186 and some others.

djwesp · Post by **djwesp** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 1:34 pm

Okay, several haven't been mentioned yet. I'll dish one out.

The SILVER Besson 983's (the laquer just doesn't sound half as good) Very underrated for their versatility. Most tuba players aren't ready for a true compensating horn, and write this one off without working on the compensating side.

Beautiful sound, really meant for a singer. I wish they made an ADEQUATE small F version of this horn, I'd be all over it.

pierso20 · Post by **pierso20** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 3:32 pm

those Bessons are a dream.....*sigh

If I could own about 3 horns, THAT would be my singing horn

Steve Marcus · Post by **Steve Marcus** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 3:48 pm

djwesp wrote:The SILVER Besson 983's (the laquer just doesn't sound half as good) Very underrated for their versatility...Beautiful sound, really meant for a singer.

davidgilbreath · Post by **davidgilbreath** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 5:27 pm

Any horn that I can afford

.
All kidding aside, any BAT with a 25 in the name.

Steve Inman · Post by **Steve Inman** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 6:27 pm

Scooby Tuba wrote:The absolutely most underrated bass tuba in my humble opinion is the Yamaha YEB-321S.

A great horn that can be had very cheaply (by ignoring the MAP price...) new and very, very cheaply used...

And if you add a 5th valve to it ... ! Even better!

The Big Ben · Post by **The Big Ben** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 6:51 pm

cktuba wrote:
Bob1062 wrote:What does a 25J look like (obviously I don't know the conn loyalist website!)?
Is it a top valve or a front valve?
http://www.xs4all.nl/~cderksen/Conn25J1964image.html

Man! That is one *big* horn.... Play that thing in the circus...call out the little car full of clowns! Bring on the dancing girls!!!

Jeff "Under the Big Top" Benedict

Chadtuba · Post by **Chadtuba** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 2:12 am

Steve Marcus wrote:
djwesp wrote:The SILVER Besson 983's (the laquer just doesn't sound half as good) Very underrated for their versatility...Beautiful sound, really meant for a singer.

Love my 983 as does one of the other Eb players in the brass band I play in. She got hers straight from Sheridan.

Steve Inman · Post by **Steve Inman** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 7:01 am

Regarding the Beson 983 Eb, I was never fond of the increased resistance below the BBb, and I owned mine as a one-tuba solution -- which it wasn't completely suited for, imo. Hence, although it shows up in my Avatar, I no longer own it. Were I to go back to an Eb as a one-tuba solution, I'd give careful consideration to the 2141, which would have been my choice over the 983, lo these many years ago, if the original 2141's had not had significant intonation issues.

Cheers,