Posted by Jay Bertolet on June 16, 2002 at 08:58:51:
In Reply to: Cimbasso Questions posted by Puccini on June 16, 2002 at 07:11:28:
I just recently purchased a Meinl-Weston Eb cimbasso and it is wonderful. I wouldn't say they are stuffy to play but they do not blow just like a tuba either. For me, I had quite a bit of difficulty finding just the right mouthpiece to match my cimbasso (thanks Doug Elliott!). Also, I found that I had to back off with my air a little bit and try to make the horn really resonate rather than trying to straighten the sucker out. Once I found the right balance, heads really started to turn. There are no issues on my Eb cimbasso that are normally associated with some bass tubas, i.e. the problem notes just below the staff. Of course, every horn is different and you should play on the horn you're considering before purchasing it. My understanding is that M-W makes cimbassos in Eb, F, and CC.
Feel free to email me privately if you want more specifics about exactly how I proceeded to find a cimbasso.
My opinion for what it's worth...