Re: Question about CC Tubas.......


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TubeNet BBS ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Rex Roeges on February 03, 2004 at 18:56:31:

In Reply to: Question about CC Tubas....... posted by Chase Conley on February 03, 2004 at 15:35:02:

Because you are fairly new to the world of CC tubas, you may want to not limit yourself here. There are currently excellent tubas available in all keys, and if you go out and try lots of them, you may be very surprised when you find the right horn for you, it may be an Eb, or perhaps one of the newer BBb’s. To some degree, the horn picks the player, so you should go try lots of them. Bring in as few pre-conceived notions as possible, but do bring along someone with experienced ears (maybe your teacher) who can help you out.

You’ll want to factor in how you’ll be using it. When I bought my CC, I knew that I would spend most of my time supporting community bands & orchestra’s, so I happily bought a very large CC rotary (a Neptune), and it does the job nicely, but I think that many smaller horns could also do the job. If you are going to be primarily supporting smaller groups, you’ll want to keep an open mind for other options. Note: I’ve found the 4-tet I play in prefers the big CC to the smaller Eb (B&H Imperial), but your mileage may vary.

The other posters may be right that Miraphone gives you the best bang for the buck, but I would say that bang for the buck doesn’t matter so much. There are lots of new horns in that same price range, so try the other reputable manufacturers. (Note: no slam at Miraphone here, I really like some of their horns, but I also think that there are other manufacturers out there who do a similarly good job. My opinion – the 186 is OK (I’ve seen some very goods ones and some only so-so), but I think that their 1816 F’s are the ones to be excited about.) Also, don’t exclude piston horns, there are some very sweet ones out there.

I do understand the allure of a new horn, I bought one and don’t regret it. However, there are also lots of really, really nice used horns out there right now. You could save some serious bucks and end up with a really terrific ax if you checked out some of gently used models out there. There are lots of sources for these horns, including some of the major “Tuba Boutiques”, bassclefbrass.com, and this BBS.

If you end up with a CC, go for the fifth valve. I didn’t use mine much at first, but I use it more and more. It will give you many more options both with intonation, and with alternate fingerings for difficult passages.

Finally, the dollar has been falling against the Euro lately, so if you are going to buy a new European horn, you may save some money buying sooner rather than later. This is a bit of a gamble, as currency fluctuations are notoriously random.



Follow Ups: