Posted by Lee Stofer on June 24, 2002 at 10:03:37:
In Reply to: Holton CC Tuba - what is it like? posted by dumb dumb on June 23, 2002 at 20:13:14:
I played a Holton CC tuba in college, back in the 1970's when european rotary valve tubas were the fashion.
Some of the notes didn't center by themselves, but you had to have a really good idea of the pitch in your mind, it was a little like driving a big, powerful old truck with really loose steering.
The closest instrument that I have played to that was an early Warren Deck model Meinl-Weston prototype, that had no bell ring inside. The response was tighter, but close to the Holton in many ways. One of the things I didn't like about the Holton and the M-W, was that for such a fat horn, it would get "edgy-sounding" too quickly, particularly on some notes. I've played kaiser-model Rudolf Meinls, Cervenys, Mirafones and Conns that I felt handled higher volume levels better, and the current 2165's with the bell ring do better, too. But, the Holtons were pretty good tubas, and it's a shame they are no longer made.
Lee Stofer