Posted by Lee Stofer on April 16, 2003 at 06:32:00:
In Reply to: Information on Hirsbrunner's 492 & 692 posted by Sam on April 15, 2003 at 16:36:52:
The Hirsbrunner BBb's are all very high quality instruments, and I've never played one that had any inherent problems.
However, I prefer the tone quality of the Rudolf Meinl BBb's, which is mostly attributable to the lacquer v.s. silver plate, since they are very similar in other respects. If you are looking for a 5/4 BBb and can spend that kind of money, you would do well to check out the Bayreuth Model 5/4 orchestral BBb from Rudolf Meinl. I have played two of them now, and they have abilities and features not found in any other 5/4 BBb. They are in the same price range as the Hirsbrunners, so you won't see a lot of them, but no one makes a better BBb tuba.
Lee Stofer