Posted by Jay Bertolet on June 25, 1999 at 16:18:12:
In Reply to: Tuba purchase? posted by Bob Sanders on June 25, 1999 at 14:15:01:
I personally own a Willson Eb and it is exactly what you describe, a tuba that splits the difference between CC and F. Actually, I think it definitely leans toward the CC side so it will not sound like a trombone. The only drawback to using the Willson is the complexity of the 5 valve fingering system, just as you pointed out. For me that didn't matter because all my horns are 5 valve setups so I had already invested the time. If you can manage the 5 valve fingering patterns, I think you couldn't do better than the Willson as an all around tuba, in my opinion. My experiences with compensating instruments is that they still require pitch adjustments going into the lower ranges so I decided to stick with 5 valves to give me more options. I hope this helps!