Posted by TubaRay on March 10, 2003 at 19:51:41:
In Reply to: Buying first tuba posted by Jim P. on March 10, 2003 at 19:23:20:
Who do you believe? That's a difficult question to answer. Most of what you read on this list is opinion. There are many who have what I consider to be very excellent opinions. Two people who post very often whose opinions I know and respect are Rick Denney and Lee Stofer. Perhaps they will respond to your query. I believe your thinking is generally very good. Ebay is a type of crapshoot. You could get lucky. I did several months ago when I bought my wife a Buffet R-13 clarinet. Buying a good tuba involves spending a lot of money. You may not want to take that risk.
Personally, I would advise against the Jupiter. I have tried Jupiter tubas, those that are supposedly better than earlier productions, and I still don't care for them. The school where I teach has four Jupiter sousaphones. They look beautiful. I can't play them in tune. The tubas play better in tune than the sousas, I will admit.
Anyway, if you are buying a new horn, I would suggest you consider the King 2341, a Miraphone 186, or the VMI. There are others that would fit the bill.
Rick...Lee..a little help here. You guys know these very well. Kenneth Sloan loves his King. I have played my Miraphone 186 for years.
Good luck!
Ray Grim
The TubaMeisters