Posted by Rick Denney on December 31, 2002 at 13:20:34:
In Reply to: Gronitz Kaiser Tuba Info? posted by Sam H on December 31, 2002 at 11:51:35:
Sam, my hat's off to you if you are willing to pay real money for a pro-quality BBb tuba. I wish there were more of you. Heck, I wish I was one of you, though I didn't buy my tubas for pennies.
If you want a big, pro-quality BBb tuba, there are few choices of new horns that are reasonably available in the United States. Here's how I would categorize them:
Kaiser tubas (tall, large, rotary, and Germanic in concept):
Rudolf Meinl 5/4 (which is huge) or 6/4 (which is mammoth)
Gronitz rotary (there's a model designation, but I don't remember it)
Meinl-Weston Fafner
Cerveny 601 or 701
BAT's (fat, big, piston, and somewhat more American in concept):
Gronitz piston (PBK?)
Meinl-Weston 2165 with BBb slides (Joe Norcross has one of these)
Willson 3100
Among used instruments (I'm not listing top-action or three-valve tubas, of which there are too many to name), there are:
Holton BB 345
Conn 34J, which are not too hard to find (Taylor Music lists one right now)
That's about it. The differences between these instruments are vast, and their similarity is size alone.
Of reasonably available BBb piston tubas in the BAT category, here's a list in increasing price order:
Conn 34J
Holton 345 (okay, not that available)
Gronitz PBK
Meinl-Westion 2165 with BBb slides (which may be more expensive than the Willson)
Willson 3100
The big rotary tubas are in the middle of that list, and if you like rotary tubas they could be a great value.
So, the Gronitz is the cheapest BBb piston BAT I know of. The only downside is that you can't play-test it--they are made to order. You have to put up the money and wait some months for them to produce it, and hope their reputation is reflected in what you get. It is likely that the Gronitz has the same characteristics as other German-designed BATs: Not all the way to the American concept (whatever that is), and still retaining a connection to the rotary equivalents. The line between these two concepts is not binary, but a continuum at this point. And I hear that all the big bells are made by the same supplier at present, which would likely homogenize the sound of different instruments in this class to a certain extent if it's true.
Rick "who didn't think he really wanted one until he found a good one" Denney