Posted by Matt Walters on June 20, 2001 at 09:19:02:
Many months ago, Mike Bunn (Plays Kennedy Center Opera Orchestra, teaches at Shenandoah Conservatory, plus Howard and Towson in Maryland) was looking for a large, goldbrass rotary F tuba to fill a certain niche. The obvious choice was a Meinl Weston 45H-L-G. Well it arrived last week and everyone was pleased. Mike opted for the Quint valve and a second slide trigger. Using the Quint valve he can play much lower without getting into the edgier pedal notes. Low F can sound just like the Gb above it. Those hand bent 4th and Quint valve tubes in the back of the horn look really sexy. I was worried the horn would seem heavy and out of balance with all that plumbing, but it wasn't. In fact, I think the Quint valve being near the bell may have helped with the balance. Okay, this was a hand built horn with a premium price tag and a waiting period that may not work for most people. The new 45S-LZ F tubas should be the closest thing in a production model with it's milder price tag.
How does it play? Great! Okay, if you push your air too fast and don't really set your embrochure for the exact note, you will experience the same problem with the notes just below the staff, that some people complain about. For anyone who has taken the time to learn how to play a rotor F tuba, it is the most perfect playing horn with great intonation and an awesome sound.
Price? This list is not a place for retail merchants to hawk their wares, but I will say as Mike Bunn ordered it, it cost about the same a Meinl Weston 2165 in lacquer.
This I posted as a fellow tubist sharing information, not as a merchant. You can see pictures of the Meinl Weston 45H-L with a Quint valve on the Meinl Weston Website. Sean provides a link for you.
Matt Walters