Posted by John Swensen on July 05, 2001 at 11:45:34:
In Reply to: Rotary or Pistons on a PT-6 posted by Matt PT-6 Goosen on July 03, 2001 at 17:17:35:
I own a PT-6P and I have played two different PT-6 tubas, all in lacquer. My horn and one PT-6 have heavyweight bells, the other has a standard bell.
The PT-6P plays and sounds quite a bit different from the PT-6; the 6P has more "core" to the sound, and is "punchier"---notes tend to pop out in legato phrases. In contrast, the PT-6 is smoother, with almost liquid transitions between notes. The 6P is more American sounding, while the PT-6 is more German sounding.
The heavy bells seem to give more weight and carrying power to the sound.
If I could justify a Nirschl York, also, I would choose the rotary model PT-6 for its different tone color, but the PT-6P is, probably, the more versatile horn for me. It is a big horn, and it can be a bit much for small ensemble work, but it can be controlled with a little care. For what it's worth, I prefer rotaries to pistons for ergonomic and maintenance reasons, but I like pistons, also.