Re: st pete tubas


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

Posted by Gary on July 24, 2001 at 07:48:34:

In Reply to: st pete tubas posted by me on July 24, 2001 at 00:08:36:

I've had one from Germany (there are no more at Die Tuba) for 2 years. Nickle plating is a bit thin I guess, but I have no trouble keeping it polished. Mine plays in tune in all registers. My hands are on the small size and I couldn't cover the keys, but my repairman cut 1 and 4 down a tad and bent them in and they fit fine now. I've always responded to the thin metal question with a question. How bullet proof can you make a tuba? I suppose you could make one of cast iron or 1/4" plate steel that wouldn't dent. The first thing I did was to get rid of the repairman's best friend, the gig bag, and got a real hard case. A Hirsbruner (sp) case fits perfectly and is quite sturdy. I put 8" wheels on it so I can handle stairs, rough parking lots, long distance from parking lot to rehearsal hall, and all around mobility. I would not recommend a St Pete or any rotary valve tuba for schools, there's too much exposed linkage to get by student misuse. There was a discussion about the plate on the bottom of bow making holding the St Pete difficult. I have a DEG stand and a MW harness that both work well in that regard. I have found for me the harness works better. There are other devises that should work well, too.

The St Pete isn't a $6k or more tuba, never claimed to be. But unless you can invest that much money in a tuba, I think the St Pete is a good choice. It plays far better than $3k.


Follow Ups: