Posted by Doug Whitten on January 17, 2003 at 17:34:40:
In Reply to: How's the Mirafore Compensating EEb? posted by Sylvain on January 16, 2003 at 21:19:34:
I had intended to purchase one from the Brasswind about 6 years ago because I was, at the time, looking for 1 tuba to do it all. The sound was as I had hoped, very big and CC like. The intonation was manageable. Suprisingly, my sample had a terrible upper register. I do not know if other samples would be better.
Ergonomically, it was very uncomfortable for me... I had trouble reaching the 4th valve. To me, it felt much like a 3+1 BBb Besson tuba in my arms (although not as tall).
I think that for a bigger person the horn might be comfortable, but why they would choose this horn is beyond me. There was nothing "wrong" with it, but it excelled at nothing. Both Besson and Yamaha 3+1 EEb tuba seem to have a more versatile sound and better intonation. I guess if you really wanted an EEb to play mostly in the low registers this horn would be a viable option, but for 95% of us, a BBb or CC would fill this niche better.
In short, I didn'tlike the horn. It would be worth trying out if you happen to be in a shop that has one, but I wouldn't risk paying for shipping both ways.
On a similar note: I have heard horror stories from listers about the Meinl-Weston compensating euphonium... but there is a student here at Boise State Unbiversity that sounds absolutely terrific on the instrument. Don't take my, or anybody elses opinions too seriously. There is a happy owner for every instrument.