Re: Re: Re: perantucci re-sale value


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Posted by Leland on March 09, 1999 at 23:32:37:

In Reply to: Re: Re: perantucci re-sale value posted by Pt- player on March 08, 1999 at 21:12:27:

I agree with the point about previous BBb experience causing any new BBb tuba to feel better than a CC. For me, though, the effect was negligible, since I've already played tons on euph, trombone, and baritone and contra bugles along with my BBb tuba. No, I don't try licks I already know when I try a different-keyed horn, but I spend as much time as I can afford to find the center of the horn -- then I'll listen for the sound.

If I were in the original poster's position, and was planning to get a CC tuba later on, I wouldn't buy a brand-new BBb unless I was planning to use it alternately with the CC. I'd get a used BBb myself -- or more likely, just get that good CC to start with.

I'm not trying to dock Perantucci tubas, either -- I really do like more of their models than any other manufacturer's line, and in a sense, I've got one myself -- a VMI 3302. Same _everything_ as a PT-2 except for my 5th valve (the VMI 3301 is the 4-valve version, virtually identical to the PT-2). Same tuning, same resonances, same shape, same sound... you get the idea. Between the PT-2/3301/3302 and the nearly-the-same-in-CC PT-4, I still like the BBb versions, even after spending half a day on a PT-4 all by itself. Once I get to a PT-7, though, I start to lean the other way a bit.... :)

What tuba sound do I like best right now? Apart from the good contra lines in corps, I can never stop enjoying the basses on my brass band CD's. Those big Bessons really do have a place! Besides, even if I did believe in "C tubas make orchestra keys easier", I honestly see more of my roads heading into bands than an orchestra. (if I knew a Latin term for "thus the inverse is true", it would be here)

When I officially went shopping for a new tuba, I didn't care what key it was in or what valves it had as long as it responded and played the way I wanted. Virtually every tuba I had gotten my hands on in the previous decade that matched that were in CC, so I was expecting to buy a CC tuba. But, out of nowhere comes this BBb that looks just like all the really good CC's I've tried, and it lived up to its looks -- clean response, wide dynamics, spot-on tuning, all that good stuff. What made the sale was that I liked its sound so much better than anything else in the room -- >I'd have to spend another $4K or so to get a similarly appealing-to-me sound. And that, as they say, was that.
Seeya ---- Leland


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