Re: Re: 20J induced backache


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TubeNet BBS ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Rick Denney on May 23, 2002 at 09:52:08:

In Reply to: Re: 20J induced backache posted by Rex Roeges on May 22, 2002 at 19:39:45:

Bets would be pointless. Even as I was enjoying digging in the dirt with my big earthmover, I was missing the control and sensitivity of the York. I will not be playing the 20J for indoor concerts with our band. At the last concert, nobody complained of not being able to hear the tuba, despite the general loudness of the programs and the exuberance of the rest of the band. And it was just me with the York.

But I don't particularly relish carrying the York around outdoor venues, or trying to be heard with no room to reflect and resonate the sound. In these applications, a lap sousaphone seems an appropriate tool. The Miraphone also works well outdoors, but doesn't produce the bottomless depth of sound of the 20J.

Most 2xJ's are battered for three reasons: They were widely used in schools, they are all old, and the cases are even more nightmarish to haul around than the bare horn. They seem to collect dents no more easily than similarly built and experienced brass sousaphones.

Lots and lots of music has been made on these beasts. They would not have survived multiple decades of popularity if music was impossible. But they are also prone to be used as weapons of war by the insensitive, and this surely feeds into their reputation. Corvettes aren't necessarily unsafe by design, but they tend to be driven by reckless drivers. They seem to attract the admiration of rank amateurs who want, um, bigger tools than they can handle, sorta like the teenager who buys a hot rod.

Rick "tarred by his own brush" Denney


Follow Ups: