Posted by Rick Denney on February 05, 2004 at 12:39:08:
In Reply to: Opinion on a horn please posted by jm on February 04, 2004 at 19:50:32:
I don't think it is necessary for you to switch to CC fingerings. If you want to, then do it because you want to, not because you should.
If money is an issue (or if it will be in the future), rememeber that BBb tubas give you more bang for the buck than do CC tubas. The reasons are many, but the main reason is that when you go shopping for C tubas, you are competing against other buyers willing to spend much more on tubas, and this means higher prices. For example, a used Miraphone 186 CC with five valves will cost at least $1000 than a four-valve BBb in the same condition, and probably more like $1500 more.
Being in Arkansas imposes some difficulty. If you can't travel, then you should look into tubas that are consistently good so that you stand a good change of getting a good one sight unseen. I'd rather buy from a distant tuba specialist than a local music store, if the local store has to order it in anyway. The tuba specialist will give you advice over the phone and help you make a good selection for you, which you may not get with your local store. The Miraphone 186 is an example of a tuba with predictable quality. The King 2341's that others have recommended haven't been as consistent in my experience, but if you buy from a trustworthy source they'll check it out for you. The good ones are great tubas, and tremendously versatile.
Don't think that the instrument you buy has to be your only instrument or you last instrument. When you are out of school and making regular money, you might add to your collection or sell what you have to buy something else. It's not a lifetime contract. Thus, make sure you buy something that will retain its value as well as possible. That means sticking with time-tested brands and models and avoiding fads. Again, Miraphone rates highly on this scale, and so does that King 2341.
Despite my respect for some of the others who have responded, I don't advise getting a specialty instrument like an Eb or a really big tuba. The Willson 3050 falls into that category in my view. It's too big for many of the playing opportunities that might come your way. And there are only one or two Eb tubas that will really hold their own in a big, amateur community band where everyone plays too loud, and those Eb tubas are more expensive than many of your other options. It's better to get a standard-size contrabass (i.e. BBb or CC); that will be the most versatile instrument for an amateur who can't predict what opportunities may emerge. For example, I don't play my Miraphone 186 much, because I use the 6/4 Holton for band and F tuba for quintet. But if I could only own one instrument, it would likely be that Miraphone--it comes the closest of any of my tubas to being usable in all those situations. I keep it because it will be last tuba I sell if I ever face bad times and have to sell tubas.
If you can afford a Miraphone, then I would probably take the Cerveny off the list. They can be good for what they are, but I would rate the Miraphone as good or better in any category, and much more consistent.
You are too young to spend more than $5000 or a bit more for a tuba, in my opinion. A tuba in that range will do everything you can. You can always trade up in the future. I once heard a high-school age tuba player who was playing a Hirsbrunner that had been bought by her parents, and she could not make a decent sound on it. Frankly, it was embarassing. To me, that's just extravagant. Now, if you are spending your own money, then you can be as extravagant as you want. (That's where I let myself off the hook for my own extravagance, heh, heh.) It isn't a matter of wealth, but of self-respect. Take that advice or leave it, but I'm offering it. Now, I know another tuba player who had a Hirsbrunner when he was in high school, but he was well-aimed for a career in music (which he is studying now in college), and he could play it well. I don't sense that you are aimed in the same direction as he.
I usually recommend to students going into the study of music to get CC tubas. It isn't because they are inherently better, but rather because their professors will expect it of them, and if they don't make the switch, they'll be forced to justify not doing so. Who needs that? But in your situation, you don't have to make such justifications, so there's no pressure at all to make the switch. The vast majority of amateur tuba players who did not study music in college play on BBb instruments, and enjoy doing so.
Rick "trying to stick to useful principles" Denney