Posted by Rick Denney on September 03, 2002 at 22:35:37:
In Reply to: Re: What do you think? posted by Lew on September 03, 2002 at 21:52:44:
I agree about the Getzen. One professional player in my acquaintance tried to modify a G-50 to work as a BBb tuba for trad jazz applications. He was getting close to what he wanted when he played the new King. He abandoned the G-50 straight away. It's a great CC tuba--one of the few that could persuade me to learn CC--but there are better BBb tubas.
The 191 is a demanding instrument. If you have enough of the free stuff, it will make the sounds. I don't, and it is a lot of work for me.
The 3301's I've played were solid, competent tubas, but for me they lacked the warmth that makes me want to keep playing a tuba. But both Steve and Lew are correct, it seems to me. I've played Kings I liked better than the 3301's I've tried, and I've played several that I thought weren't as good. There seems to be some variability in the Kings, so I would not buy one sight unseen. Go the trouble of finding a good one.
The King and the Miraphone are at opposite poles, it seems to me, with different sounds and making different demands on the player. It's hard to compare them.
Based on reputation alone, I would not exclude Rudy Meinls and the Meinl-Weston Fafner from your considerations, depending on the sound concept in your head. They would be more like the Cerveny 601, but probably more consistent and certainly more durably constructed (and expensive).
Rick "whose next BBb tuba--if there is one--will be big, not small" Denney