Posted by John Elliott on July 25, 2002 at 09:35:45:
In Reply to: Re: PT-20!!! posted by J. Beish on July 24, 2002 at 20:41:22:
I'm right were you are. I'll be a senior in high school this year and i've had my PT-20P for a year now and getting it was the best decision of my life. Everything on it still is in almost perfect working order. The silver is in great condidtion. And as for playing, its in my opinion one of the best horns out there. When i was testing horns, the only other horns that i thought were maybe better are the Hirrsbrunners. However, once you brake the Perantucci in and get it warmed up and stuff, it'll sound just as good as any horn out there if you practice. Of course its that way with any horn, but the 20 makes the process much easier and smoother. The valves are great, they better than the day i got em after a year and the slides too. I have found that there isnt a stuffy note on that horn either. I love its ability to just let air through and not create very much back pressure. I play in a well renowned youth orchestra in Bostona and it fits in almost perfect in the large ensembles like that. It's got great power for that, but it also sounds great playing soft, better at soft than the Hirrs's i think. Its a great solo horn as well and makes the high registers sound great and flow real smooth if u practice on not tightening up. Its also a perfect quintet horn. Its got great clarity and its clear enough so as not to galumph over the rest of the group. Overall its a great buy, and at about 8k less than the hirss's you cant go wrong. Now there are other horns out there, and like i said practicing makes all the difference no matter what your on, but the 20 gives you an extra edge and makes learning the tuba an amazing process. I would however say, go out and get some time behind each and every horn you want to try becuase you might fall in love with something that people say is a hunk of crap but you might sound like some kind of deity on it! Be sure that you really want the horn you're getting
Best of Luck to you!
John