Posted by Dale Phelps on October 24, 2000 at 09:57:23:
In Reply to: BATs on a budget? posted by Wanting a large horn on October 23, 2000 at 14:23:13:
If you're only playing occasionally, I'd suggest looking for one of the larger-bore
rotary horns from Yurrop made by Cerveny. If you can live with BBflat tubas one
of the more surprising price-point tubas around are the old Cervemy-built Karl Ziess
tubas, .890 bore, Mirafone-like wrap but pretty full bell throat, if you can find a good one they have a VERY nice full sound, work well as an orchestral horn and are reasonably affordable. One in silverplate just sold on e-bay a few weeks ago for around 2 grand. The Ziess tubas are really 5/4 tubas in the funny formula of bore/bottom bow/bell throat sizes, and really wouldn't be called a "B.A.T." by many people (at least not this month.) Another horn to consider thats at the top of your price range is the tuba for sale by Jay Bertolet (one of the contributors to this list) It is a large Cerveny tuba that he used in his orchestra. As to this whole B.A.T. terminology lately, that term has been watered down recently to mean just about anything ... including large, usually heavy, and often ponderous in facility - a combination of characteristics that really should NOT be attractive to many players. B.T.W. a horn that has such characteristics deserves a different term, I.M.H.O. it s/b called a P.O.S. not a B.A.T., and goodness knows there unfortunately are a lot of those around.