Posted by Leland on June 01, 1999 at 15:03:50:
In Reply to: Re: VMI 3301 posted by Santos on June 01, 1999 at 11:20:32:
Ditto to that, and so far, all of my other tuba classsmates will ditto that, too.
Some have classified its sound as bright-ish, but it's also not so dark that others would call it "dead". A lot of presence, good projection, lively at pppp volumes, clear enough for a darn good solo sound (according to one of our piano faculty), good tuning, tight articulation, etc., generally really clean with a lot of oomph. It even reminded a local tuba guru prof. of a 'Brunner. So, yes, I'd say it's well worth trying out if you like the clarity of the great 4/4-5/4 CC's but want a darker sound. I would have had to spend another $3K+ before I found a horn that I liked as much or better, and I've gotten good comments thus far from the faculty.
The only thing that would make me like it better is if it could match up with a 6/4 monster, but that won't happen -- you can only trick the laws of physics so much! :)
Since it's relatively new, I have yet to hear someone else perform on one either as a solo or full section. I suppose being out here in the boonies of Nebraska doesn't raise the odds of seeing one besides my own...
Seeya,
Leland