Posted by Floyd on June 06, 2000 at 22:06:34:
In Reply to: School tuba purchase posted by CW on June 01, 2000 at 04:18:42:
I have had experience with the Yamaha and the Miraphone and I do not recomend them at all. They wear out with amazing speed and under the rigors of school use I can't imagine how fast they would die. I also have found that neither of these instruments speak very well in the extreme ranges whereas I have never found a Meinl-Weston that in itself sounded bad.
My other thought is that your friend should consider making some of the horns piston valve. I, and many other university and professional players, not only like piston valves even better than rotary valves. Students should be given the chance to experience different kinds of tubas so that they can find the best option for their individual strengths and weakness.
A final plug for piston valves is that they hold up better under the stress of school use than do rotary valves. The main reason for this is that rotary valves require a whole lot more care than do pistons. And if you think that the students will put in the time needed to take care of the valves then you have been sorely misled.
If I have offended anyone in this discourse I sincerely apologize. This message was only meant to assist a person that asked for advice and not to in any way meant to insult anyone