Re: Re: Holton BATS


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Posted by Alex on October 22, 2000 at 18:50:12:

In Reply to: Re: Holton BATS posted by wouldn't touch that... on October 22, 2000 at 15:14:37:

here are my OPINIONS:

I've played quite a lot of 6/4's in the last couple years. I owned a holton converted Bb/C for almost a year. I've also gotten to hear a lot of big tubas played in a wide set of contexts.

the holtons sound great, if you at least get a decent one. as far as a "big room" sound, they are equal, but different to any other big tuba costing 5-10K more.

the main advantage to a newer horn is the quality of construction and the lack of wear and tear. My holton had some problems that any horn would have at that age, mainly in braces and a little, easily surmountable, valve trouble. the pitch is something you get used to, but EVERY BIG TUBA HAS SACRIFICED SOME PITCH TO PROJECTION AND COLOR. I promise.

the yorkbrunner is a fantastic tuba, but it is not perfect. I got the freakish opportunity to play Jim Self's yamaha york copy, and that horn is far superior to any yorkbrunner I've played. I also got to play a couple nirshel york copies, and they are also very similiar in sound and quality to a hirsbrunner.
are these tubas worth the extra money?

yes. if you can afford it. the consistency, tone color and construction put together a much better package than a holton. but consider this: while I was recently tuba shopping, i was playing a few different horns for a collegue who plays with a major symphony orchestra, and he thought I sounded best on a 4/4 hirsbrunner. that was because it's the horn I really grew up with, and I'm totally comfortable with it. the one aspect of any horn that matters most is how comfortable you are with it, so that the equipment won't trip up your concentration.
the holtons can be played with the same results as the more expensive models. I've heard it and I've even done it for a couple nano-seconds here and there.

i wound up getting a new pt-7, which has taken some serious adjustments, but now that I understand the overwhelming importance of knowing each millimeter of a horn, I won't be trading up for a long time.




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