Posted by Steve Dedman on February 28, 2000 at 22:42:27:
In Reply to: 6/4 Rudy Meinl BBb posted by Steven on February 28, 2000 at 19:21:34:
Steven,
First let me say that I don't mean to sound condescending. If you are still in school (as I think you are), then keep reading. If you have other "horses in the stable", have researched the subject thoroughly, and believe that you have a situation where a horn like that is necessary, then by all means look into it.
That's alotta horn. If you're not planning on doing much solo or quintet work, and sticking to large band / orchestra music, it'll probably fit the bill. If you want an all-around horn there are some other horns that may cover most of the bases a little better. If you're thinking about a college horn, a really good 4/4 CC will get you a lot further than a Big A** Tuba for a lot less $$. I personally would not want to be locked into playing a brass jury every semester on a horn that big.
While it may look impressive, it may not be the right horn for the right job. Most pros could play Berlioz on one, but why? Berlioz wrote with the smaller French tuba specifically in mind, so a B.A.T. is very out of place. On the other hand, works by Prokoffiev sound very good on a horn that size.
I suggest you read the post just down the page: Re: MW2165 - how versatile is it? from Joseph Felton.
The idea here though, is to find a model that you think will work for your needs, then you need to play test every horn you can. If someone near you has a horn, ask if you can give it a blow. Go to a place where you can play several models in one sitting to judge them against each other.
Good luck!