Posted by Tom Fox on March 25, 2002 at 09:49:46:
I have just heard about Besson's new Eb tuba, which appears to be basically the same as the 981, but with a 17 inch bell.
The press release says 'Orchestral players will liken the BE980 model to the best of continental F tubas in sound'. I am somewhat skeptical about that, though I have neither played nor heard one. Can anyone with experience of this instrument offer any opinions?