Posted by Joshua Wirt on April 17, 2001 at 14:53:25:
In Reply to: Quintet Survey: Contrabass or Bass tuba posted by Matt G on April 17, 2001 at 07:02:53:
I guess, for me, it depends on the music that you're playing.
I have in the past used a B&S PT-5 which played great and seemed to work well in a quintet. Then I heard a recording of us with that horn and realized it was a little too much for quintet. So I started using my Yamaha YFB-621. I found it to be a great tuba for quintet....and I still think so. But it was the only F that I owned and I needed a slightly larger horn, so I sold it and bought a YFB-822. What a great horn?! It is my "default" quintet tuba that I feel really works for the sound that my quintet and I were looking for. When I need a CC, I break out my Getzen G50, which is a fantastic quintet/all-around tuba.
I recently played a series of concerts where I switched back and forth between the two. Dukas and Bozza on F. Bach and Dahl on CC. To me, the lighter F tuba sound lended itself better to the French music whereas the CC gave a more organ-like tone with the Bach Contrapunctii that we did, along with Dahl's "Music for Brass Instruments".
Bottom line....use what works best for you and your quintet.