Posted by Klaus on July 10, 2001 at 16:40:20:
In Reply to: Recommend a Tuba for Big Band music? posted by Ludger on July 10, 2001 at 16:06:18:
Your present tuba might be just the right thing for you.
I have heard very bright toned (hell klingendes) playing on exactly that model. Whereas I most certainly did not like that in brass band playing, it could very well be the right thing in a big band context.
The body of your Imperial basically has the same bore and proportions at the Sovereign 994. But it has a narrower bell. And even more important a narrower leadpipe and receiver.
Getting a now tuba never is an easy thing, at least financially, so I would let my experiments start down a cheaper alley:
Your mouthpiece is too small for your instrument.
At least two makers have standard lines of mouthpieces with shanks small enough for your tuba:
Denis Wick. Whether you should go for the 2 or 1 will have to depend on your personal test.
Perantucci: Personally I play a modified PT-50 on my Eb and BBb instruments, but there are so many PT models, that I am not the one to give you advise.
However you are lucky to live in a country with a very qualified and dedicated tuba store:
Robert Tucci - Musikinstrumente
Hauptstraße 17 - 19
D-82223 Eichenau bei München
Telefon: +49 (0) 8141 82045
Telefax: +49 (0) 8141 71885
E-Mail: info(AT)perantucci.com
Bob Tucci has been very helpful to me, and I am sure he speaks good German.
I will put in a link to his site.
You can mail me privately in German.
Klaus
PS:
As for the best tuning of a bass tuba I might ask: does the tenor sax make better jazz soloists than does the alto sax? I liked Gerry Mulligan very much, and he played the baritone sax.