Posted by Suggestion on December 29, 1999 at 18:10:32:
In Reply to: MW2155 vs B&SPT6P posted by on December 29, 1999 at 12:36:43:
The VMI/B&S piston tubas are very comfortable to hold. Their low registers are generally stuffy. All of the VMI/B&S piston tubas I have tried are very hard to get speaking down low. The newer VMI/B&S tubas might be better. I really don't know. Give the PT-6P a long try before you buy. Try the rotary version as well. VMI/B&S tubas were designed from the ground up to be rotory tubas not piston tubas.
The 2155 has a great sound all over but the right hand position sucks. I can barely reach my fingers to the valve caps. It is also hard for me to hold. I am tall and I have to bend over to play it on my lap. If I balance the center of the bottom bow on my right thigh, I can get it to my face. This is very precarious and gets tiring after awhile. If you are a smaller person you may be able to hold the horn very comfortably on your lap or chair. Other than that, the sound is excellent. Its one of the few horns I have tried where the hype in the promotional material is actually true. Try several of them out though, I played one that was great and one that sucked.
Whichever horn you choose, make sure the low range and the rest of the horn speaks very well. You will regret buying a horn with a stuffy low register later. Also make sure that the horn fits you and you are relaxed while holding it your face. You are a tuba player, not a contortionist.