Posted by Rick Denney on August 29, 2002 at 16:59:52:
In Reply to: Willson Piston F Tuba posted by Tom B. on August 29, 2002 at 14:35:17:
I'm a hobbyist who regularly plays (and thoroughly enjoys) a Yamaha 621 F tuba. With that as a backdrop...
The Willson is a bigger F tuba than the 45SLP, and much bigger than the B&S rotary F's. (I haven't played a piston B&S or the Hirsbrunner.) It has that playing quality shared with Yamaha F's that it can be played into the low register without any funny or fuzzy response. But it is a much deeper sound than my little Yamaha, though without the same sense of presence. To me, it's more like a 3/4 contrabass than an F. I like it a lot, and prefer it by a wide margin to the 822 F.
Compared to the really big VMI Culbertson Apollo, it doesn't have that same ethereal sound. But it didn't have the funky intonation, either.
But I have to say that the Miraphone 181 impressed just as much, and it has more of that tall-bell sound that is so popular on F's and unpopular on C's and Bb's. If I get to the point of wanting a big F, it will be between those two for me, unless the new Conn is something special.
Rick "who will probably someday get a big F just for fun" Denney