Posted by Jay Bertolet on October 26, 2000 at 20:59:15:
In Reply to: Eb vs CC posted by Russell Diggins on October 26, 2000 at 15:34:47:
I haven't played a 983 myself yet but those I've spoken to say they are slightly smaller in sound and feel than a 981. In my opinion, a horn that small could be used effectively in larger ensembles but it would definitely be a stretch. If you really want to go this route, you might look at the Willson Eb; it is much larger and really can sound like a CC instrument.
The bigger question in my mind is why on earth you would wish to define your playing with one solo? Is doing the VW so important that you would trade other types of playing by compromising your equipment just to play that one piece? It just seems to me that unless you're better than all the other guys that came before you (Bobo, Lind, Seward, etc.), you probably won't be doing that much solo work except for personal pleasure. If that really turns out to be the case, there are plenty of other solos that don't require specific equipment to execute effectively. If it were me, I'd keep the CC tuba and start saving my money for a cheap Eb or F tuba. It seems to me the most efficient use of your dollars because you're surely going to get the most use out of a 4/4 CC tuba. The applications of an Eb or F tuba that would be appropriate for the VW are relatively small by comparison.
My opinion for what it's worth...