Posted by John Swensen on June 09, 2000 at 21:04:46:
In Reply to: St. Petersburg tuba posted by William on June 09, 2000 at 20:50:19:
You really should search the archives on this but, in a nutshell, the St. Petersburg offers a nice sound (not very big, though), good intonation, light weight, and a low price (~$1200, with shipping and duty), at least if you buy it from tuba.com.
The downsides are its horrible valves, thin, easily-dented metal, and poor quality control (bad solder joints, poor fit-and-finish, etc.). You can expect parts on it break (valve hardware, in particular), and spare parts are not readily available.
Although I now play a tuba that cost almost ten times what a St. Petersburg costs, I don't regret having bought one a couple of years ago for $1200, but I would not recommend one to anyone younger than college age, nor for the "unhandy". They are a great way to learn repair skills, however, without risking too much.