Posted by js on April 10, 2003 at 15:02:29:
My son's middle school band director over-generously had been allowing students at the school to use his B&S-made Schneider BBb tuba, due to an instrument shortage. Last year, the school acquired a couple more Miraphone 186's and the band director, now that his instrument is now again out of harm's way, asked me to do a dents-and-mechanical overhaul on his somewhat-school-abused Schneider.
I'm about finished with the work and this is a fantastic BBb tuba - among the best I've played. Though inappropriate for school use due to the 70's vintage lightweight B&S bracing, this instrument combines Alex/Fafner resonance with an nearly perfectly in tune open overtone series. I have no idea whether the current generation of these (maybe those imported by Conn??, or ones sold simply as "B&S", "Perantucci", or "VMI",) are as good, but if I were looking for an Alex/Fafner BBb sound and a really accurate scale, I'd be on the lookout for one of these old Schneider's.
Joe "Yes, I know the Fafner and some Alex's are physically larger tubas." S.