Posted by Craig on January 17, 2000 at 10:36:05:
In Reply to: Cerveny 681 BB tuba any comments? posted by S.T on January 13, 2000 at 01:41:36:
I play a Musica which I am told is basically a Cerveny 781 (which is the 681 in red brass) with nickel silver tuning slides, valve casings, and leadpipe, and a 17.75" bell. I tried the 681 before buying the Musica and found that it has a decent sound, but the small bell really is limiting. The 681's that I tried are nice, easy blowing horns, but if you are playing in a large ensemble you really would be better off stepping up to a 17.75" or larger bell vs. the standard 15.75". I would say that the Cerveny 686 really is worth the couple of hundred dollars more that it would cost if you want a Cervany. I would also reiterate the other comments that these horns dent easily, so you need to be careful with them, but the trade off is that they have a nice playing feel. You can get similar horns which are a little sturdier, but you would probably pay $1000 more. I would also say to make sure that you play the specific horn that you want to buy before buying anything. These things can vary greatly from horn to horn, even for the same model, so you need to play it before buying.