Posted by Joe S. on June 03, 1999 at 02:08:02:
In Reply to: Orchestral Horn Concerns posted by Dan on June 03, 1999 at 00:58:09:
I think that the Miraphone 188 is about the "best behaved" "4/4 plus" tuba on the market, intonation-wise. I, having owned one, sympathize with the "sound color" etc. issues that you have with it, though. I will tell you this, I owned one of the bronze ("gold-brass") and nickel-silver ones -- "Anniversary Model" (whatever), and a friend owned a regular brass one. I really couldn't tell much difference, and I consider myself pretty picky (if you've read any of my annoying posts). I am also not much of believer in tone rings and other strips of metal having really profound effects of the sound of an instrument. (For example, I personally believe that the main reason that the tone ring changes the sound of the M.W.2165 so much is because it is INSIDE the bell. I think that if the 2165 bell ITSELF were retapered to match the shape AFTER the tone ring was inserted, the tone ring would be all but unneeded.) Because of these considerations having very little weight, in my opinion, the even LESS difference between painted and unpainted I don't really suspect (based on my beliefs) is worth the trouble, and, as you say, it will sell easier, at least to a kid, with some "shiny", if you ever really do decide to sell it after all.
From my own experiences, I will tell you this: Whatever OTHER CC that you get will require you to work quite a bit harder than you are right now (on your 188) to play in tune. Although the 188 tone is not particularly interesting, it really does do quite admirably on the tuner, which is a BIG plus, especially to get past the prelim.'s at auditions. Beautiful tone does not make up for a lot of sour notes, especially when there are an oboist and a violinist on the committee, who really aren't listening for "their ideal concept of a tuba sound", nor are they listening for the "most awesome LOUD noise that they have ever heard in their entire life". (Ask Gene Pokorny about his instrument selection strategy for auditions that he has taken.)
Why don't you (maybe) start saving up for a SECOND CC, instead of selling this one? This sounds dumb and parent-like, but maybe if you list everything that you buy each month, you will discover quite a few extras that could be given up towards that SECOND CC. (restaurant meals, fast food, movie rentals, snack foods, quick-prepare foods, vacations, a couple of degrees of temperature lowering of your air conditioning, CATV, consider an eight year old automobile instead of a two year old automobile, more modest apartment, etc. etc. -- ????) There is a nationally syndicated radio talk show host named David Ramsey that helps people do these types of things in order to get out of serious and dangerous debt. I would imagine that in a lot of cases -- maybe yours -- the same strategy could be applied to afford another tuba, rather than for paying off of debts. I apologize for perhaps going off on a tangent or getting too personal, not knowing your situation, but I was just trying to offer other possibilities other than surrendering a really nice tuba.
MAGIC BULLET:
I DID locate a "Kaiser" (This sucker was REALLY big!) mouthpipe that Miraphone made, to put on the 188. I obtained this AFTER I sold my 188 to a friend, and installed it for him as a custom "detachable-interchangable" mouthpipe. I REALLY liked the feel of that HUGE mouthpipe, and I think that it improved the tone and playing characteristics (without hurting the intonation at all), but my friend really didn't like it. His approach to the instrument differed from mine. To clarify, that mouthpipe was NOT a "magic bullet" nor did it make the tone color of the 188 irresistably dreamy. However, it DID (in my opinion) make the instrument better. Maybe Miraphone would make another mouthpipe like that one for you.