Posted by James W on March 02, 2000 at 10:51:25:
In Reply to: Re: Eb popularity posted by Jon Brady on March 01, 2000 at 08:17:35:
I couldn't agree more. I am a Sheffield born, English brass band player and split my time roughly evenly between Eb and BBb (although I have been known to use a Miraphone CC for orchestral). Overall, my Besson Eb bass is far and away the most comfortable and easy horn I have ever played. There are very few intonation problems, and unlike its larger BBb cousins, the compensators do not make the low register feel like blowing through cotton wool. It has a smooth easy range from about pedal G (7 ledgers down) to top Bb (4 ledgers up) and considerably more in the hands (lips?) of a better player than me. I know this reads like an advert for Besson tubas, but for some reason the Eb seems to meet with the wrong end of a lot of hassle for being too big to fill the roll of an F, but too light to take over from a CC or BBb. If people give an Eb a fair go, then with a little practice both extremes become a pleasure to play, and it is definately more agile than a larger horn.