Re: Eb recommendations


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Posted by DaveC on July 24, 2001 at 12:53:04:

In Reply to: Eb recommendations posted by Seeker on July 24, 2001 at 08:42:14:

I'm hesitant to expostulate too much in a forum with people much better qualified than I am to give advice. However, I hope my experience in choosing an Eb tuba will be helpful as I think my requirements for a tuba are similar to what you describe as needing.

I used a Meinl Weston 2141 in quintet, brass band, and concert band and was very pleased with it. In the interest of full disclosure, I am selling one of these. I don't use it any more only because I was fortunate enough to buy a Willson Eb at a very good price.

The MW is probably the best non-compensating Eb tuba in its price range($3000 used to around $4700 new) It has 4 pistons and a 5th rotor (independent, not like the Yamaha Ebs). It has a very sweet sound and blends well. It sounds a little like a small CC tuba, as the bore is big and the bell is 17". This horn has a reputation of being finicky as far as intonation and mouthpiece selection, but I solved many intonation quirks I had by switching to a Dillon PS3 mpc, with a shallow bowl. The other intonation problems I could not solve, I am still having with the Willson, which leads me to believe it is me, and not the instrument.

Other Eb's you might consider are the Yamaha YEB321(?) which is a 4v upright tuba with the Yamaha bell and taper setup. This instrument also sounds and plays pretty well, but I don't think it has the presence (some call it "core" or projection) of the MW or even the Besson, plus it is an upright valve tuba, which I have a preference against. The Besson 983 is a nice Eb tuba, lighter than the MW and Willson, with a smaller bore. It is a little more nimble than the big Eb's, but I chose the MW and Willson because I felt they have a broader and richer sound. The MW 2141 is a little more open than the Besson 983, and has a much better (sounding) low end (below 4th valve Bb, i.e., with the 5th valve). A few other horns are better than the MW(like the Willson, for example, and the Nirschl, which I tried very briefly at the Army Tuba conference), but they also cost twice as much.

Concert band and pit band will have you playing music probably written with string bass or BBb tuba in mind, and you will be playing a lot below the staff. With this in mind the 5th valve is VERY helpful. Quintet literature is usually higher, though the ability to drop an octave away from the trombone is useful, again using the 5th valve.

I don't know you or your preferences, but I suggest either the MW 2141 (if you are leaning to the "big" side)or the Besson 983 (if you are leaning to the "small" side) as the best mid range Eb tubas, based upon my experiences in the "small ensemble". If you want to spend $8K, get a Willson. If you can only spend $2-3K, look for a used MW, Besson or even a Besson 981 or 982. I would stay away from "jumbo" Eb's from the early part of the 20th century, as the compromises manufacturers made to make large Eb's with a small valve bore and rapid post-valve taper to a 20" bell wreak havoc with intonation and playability.

Good luck with your search, and keep the us all informed of your conclusions.


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