Re: Eb or F in college


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Posted by Sean Chisham on November 05, 2000 at 21:30:51:

In Reply to: Eb or F in college posted by john on November 05, 2000 at 18:45:07:

Either would work. The Meinl Weston's, B&S's, Willson's, Hirsbrunner's, and Yamaha's are some good places to start for quintet ready horns. The Willson Eb or Besson 981 Eb would be my choice for quintet Eb's. The Hirsbrunner HB-12 F is a dynamite F tuba, but is out of your price range at around $12,000 or so, I believe. Just about every other Eb and F in production is attainable for the price you are shooting for. You should probably try to make one of the big music conferences like Midwest Music Conference in Chicago or The United States Army Band Tuba Euphonium Conference at Ft. Myer in order to try out instruments of all makes, back to back.

I am not a jazzer, so I should leave the jazz issue alone, but ... The jazz types I have seen perform are not necessarily paying on the high priced equipment. In fact, most of them are doing their thing on smaller horns typically seen in Jr. High and High School programs. I am not sure an Eb Helicon or a BBb Weril would be my first choice for a Mahler-o-thon, but it has some character for jazz. Plus you don't feel too guilty when they get banged around in a bar.

The equipment, in the end, is going to be determined by personal tastes. I personally prefer German rotary F tubas as the second solo/quintet type horn, while others here prefer Yamaha's, while others prefer Willson Eb's, while others prefer the Besson 983 Eb.

When you buy the horn, don't forget to figure in $300 for a gig bag, $700 for a flight case, and $100 for a mouthpiece. Not to mention money for the new solo literature to take advantage of the new possibilities.

Still left you where you began, eh?

sean



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