Posted by Andy Smith on March 23, 2001 at 19:58:12:
In Reply to: considering a Conn 56J posted by Dan on March 23, 2001 at 13:03:10:
Dan,
I have played a Conn 56J and a 52J and I love both of them. I think they play very well, and can be used in a lot of different situations. Other people have told you all about the Rudys, Meinl Westons, and etc. Don't forget about the new Besson CC. If you're willing to wait a bit, you can get what I feel is one of the best CC tubas I've ever played. It has the same valve section that Walter Nirshl (sp?) is using on his York copy, and it plays really well. The price, which is going to be around $6,000 when I talked to Patrick Sheridan last, is great as well. I like it so much that I'm probably going to sell my YCB-822S, which I have found nothing that compares to it at the time I bought it, for one of these horns.
As with all those other horns, there's debates on all of them. Rudys are great, but hard to find, and I personally don't like the feel of their rotary valves. Meinl Westons are very inconsistent. Miraphones are absolutely wonderful, if you like that dark sound with very little color. There are so many great horns out there, but there probably just as many bad ones that have the same brand name as the good.
So the best bet is to go to a store that carries the Conn 52J and 56J. Try them out, and compare to other horns. That way, you know what the differences are and you know which horn fits your style of playing better. Hope this helps.
Andy Smith
Bassdi(AT)aol.com
Tubist at Ithaca College