Posted by Bob Joles on March 31, 2001 at 12:13:33:
In Reply to: Brass Quintet posted by chrisswid on March 31, 2001 at 11:51:40:
After having played in brass quintets for over 20 years, I can tell you that an F tuba is my personal choice. The tighter sound more closely matches the sound of the rest of the quintet. The agility of an F tuba combined with the range that you must cover make it the ideal axe for playing in a quintet.
When I played with the Maple Leaf Brass at EPCOT in the mid 80's I started off playing my Mirafone 186 CC. A great horn, but not the best one suited for quintet playing… especially outdoors in a theme park! I got my first B&S F tuba shortly there after, and the guys in the quintet loved the sound of the F tuba. I've never tried to play any other horn when I'm working in a quintet.
Mind you, this is merely one man's opinion. But, I do think that you'll be very happy with an F tuba as opposed to a small bore CC (which I also tried for a brief period).
Good luck in your search for the right horn for your situation. If you have the chance to try out the Yamaha YFB-822 F tuba, by all means do so. My old teacher, Tommy Johnson uses his for about 85% of his tuba work in the studios. It's the only F tuba I've ever played that blows like a CC. Try it for yourself and see.
Cheers,
Bob