Posted by Rick Denney on February 26, 2003 at 12:39:17:
In Reply to: Re: Looking for a BBflat posted by Matt G on February 25, 2003 at 16:02:34:
Just to add a bit of flesh to the Matt's outline, I'll make a few comments and sort the list in order of increasing price.
Jupiter 582. A good tuba and an excellent value. It has a good scale and a nice sound.
Conn 5J. In my opinion, too small to really be called 4/4, and it will run out of versatility sooner than the others.
King 2341 (new style). You'll have a hard time finding the new version used--it's only been out for a couple of years. And I'd buy it new anyway. They are a bit variable, so get an expert to play-test it for you (such as your son's teacher). The good ones are great tubas. They are easy to play with good intonation and good ergonomics. The only complaint I hear is that they collect water in inconvenient places, requiring one to learn a few tricks to drain it (this is true, by the way, for most front-action piston tubas).
VMI 3301. An excellent tuba, but in my opinion it has been overshadowed by the King and the Miraphone.
Miraphone 1291. More open-blowing than any of the others, and the biggest of the lot. As with a good King, no BBb professional would be at all embarassed to walk on stage with one of these. But it's the most expensive of the lot, and also the most demanding of the player.
Also, don't completely rule out the old-style King 2341's with the tall, interchangeable bell. I don't think they are as good as the new ones, but what do I know? And a used one in excellent condition would be less expensive than any of the above, so if the Jupiter is too expensive, this is your best alternative.
And if your son's teacher thinks he needs a bigger horn than these (except for the Miraphone), Baltimore Brass is showing a Boehm and Meinl BBb tuba. I have played that instrument, and it is excellent--one of the few pro-quality piston tubas on the large end of the 4/4 range (really a 5/4) that you'll find at that price point.
Rick "who thinks the son's requirements would have been nearly impossible to meet ten years ago" Denney