Posted by Karl Hovey on April 30, 2001 at 21:49:54:
In Reply to: Walter Nirschl Tubas posted by Tim B. on April 29, 2001 at 17:18:36:
Tim, I've been playing a Nirschl York for a couple of years now and I love it! It is the most in-tune instrument I've ever played. I played with a tuner when I first got it, set the slides, and then just worried about making music. The open overtone series is amazingly perfect, and I don't use any weird fingerings or even move the 1st valve slide to make slight adjustments: it's all that close.
Other niceties: thin metal so it's big, but light; rich tone allows other instruments to blend easily; instant response; easy to change tonal color and wide variety of articulations; extremely accurate--all you have to do is think the next note; surprizingly easy to play extremely soft. It's so flexible and versatile that I use it extensively in brass quintet.
In contrast, the new Yorkbrunners that I've tried are uneven and have some unacceptable pitch problems (e.g. the octave f's in the cash register are more like flat 9ths). The 'brunners have a great sound (a little more fundamental, less overtones than the Nirschl) and are very well made (and heavy). I know people who swear by their older 'brunners, though.
Only problems I've had with the Nirschl are (1) long valve break-in (2) slightly misaligned spit valve (3) felts don't precisely line up valves (4) dent if you look at them hard. The Nirschl feels like what it is: a hand-made instrument. Some of the work is beautiful, some seems rushed. My choice was easy. My opinion, FWIW.