Posted by Sam Gnagey on March 02, 1999 at 10:05:03:
In Reply to: info on buying a horn posted by Chris Chaussey on March 02, 1999 at 01:50:42:
1. Consult your teacher. He/she probably has an opinion and a direct interest in you having the best fit in an instrument.
2. Get to a tuba store(ie. Brasswind, Custom in Detroit, Simonetti's place in Carolina etc.) and try a bunch out.
3. Buy as good as you can possibly afford, but don't pay more for a horn that doesn't work as well as(pitch,sound, ergonomics) a cheaper one just because you can pay more.
4. Consider a CC if you're playing BBb. I feel its a better choice for future options.
Some specifics that I like are:
Least expensive- Cerveny Piggy CC, but, be careful, they can vary a lot from horn to horn.
A little more money- Mirafone "S" line 5 valve CC. These seem pretty consistant.
There are a lot of fine very servicable instruments in the $5-7K range. Go with Rudy Meinl, Meinl Weston, Miraphone, Perantuci(VMI). I like my Rudy 5/4 very much, but it is quite large for some applications. I think it is best to go with something pretty standard for a first purchase ie. 4/4size with 5 rotors is a good start.
I haven't found anything over $8k that I prefer over the Rudy that I have.
Good luck.