Posted by Jay Bertolet on June 08, 1999 at 17:42:07:
In Reply to: rudolf meinl cc posted by Tubagirl on June 07, 1999 at 23:49:52:
It is true, I play a Rudolf Meinl tuba and swear by them. I own an RM-10, 4/4 CC which I purchased used in 1980 and the horn was already at least 11 years old (made in 1968 or 1969). I've been playing it hard, pretty much daily since I got my gig in 1985, and it is still all the original equipment, even the original leadpipe. My preferences with Rudys are with the older ones. A few years back they tweaked the design a little to help with intonation problems and ended up (in my opinion) trading one set of intonation difficulties for another and also losing some of the character of the sound. The new ones are still good horns but I'm always looking for the older ones.
The Rudy 4/4 is a very versatile horn, at home in solo, chamber, or large ensemble. It really is the most flexible tuba I've ever played. I use a standard Bach 18 with mine but I've also used a standard Helleberg as well. Your 7B might be a bit on the smallish side and you might want to try a bigger mouthpiece to get the full effect. It is a great tuba for the college student because of its flexibility but it also works later as a solid everyday orchestral tuba (assuming orchestral tuba playing is where you're headed). I've played a few Kalison tubas and none of them turned my head like the Rudy. Good luck deciding!