Re: Hobbyist wants tuba


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Posted by Henry on December 16, 2003 at 12:19:26:

In Reply to: Hobbyist wants tuba posted by Helen on December 16, 2003 at 11:40:40:

A road I have recently trodden myself. Consider starting out with an old King, Reynolds, Conn BBb with or without a detachable bell from the 50's-60's.. The three valvers with a relatively small bore are readily available, easy to play, and sound just fine for non-judgemental situations. I have a thrifty three valve Reynolds in the corner of the office and a monstrous CC Kurath-Perantucci at home. Clearly the "worth as much as my Honda one valve per finger silver plated looks good and dwarfs my kids" model does indeed sound better and is more flexible in the extremes of the range. But for the simple pleasure of playing and for tooting along in a small ensemble (not tuxes/gowns and the big stage with the bright lights in the big city- more like Jane and the girls enjoying themselves for the local civic center christmas event)the 500 buck Reynolds works like a champ. It and its ilk are unlikely to win a beuty concert but for many local functions that adds a sort of quaint charm. And at that price point you could always unload it quickly and get your money back with minimum fuss. I use Arban's- now in a version specifically transposed for tuba- but a solid foundation for any horn player in whatever version you happen across.
Henry


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