Posted by Lew on May 19, 2001 at 08:22:34:
In Reply to: new King BBb - (5 valve version?) posted by Kenneth Sloan on May 18, 2001 at 23:23:08:
I have played on two different samples, the "original" silver prototype and a lacquered brass version, both at Dillons. I probably spent about a total of an hour on each between several visits. I am an amateur BBb tuba player in a community band and a few small ensembles and my current main horn is a Conn International 92J 4 rotary BBb. Before I bought my current horn I played a King 2341 for about 7 years, while I was re-learning tuba after an 18 year layoff. I looked to replace my King because I began to find the lower register too constrained.
I found the new Kings to be better than my old one. I was particularly interested in the low end, because that's where I had problems with my old one. The new ones seem much better in that respect. The response below a BBb is still a little slow compared to my horn, but it is as good as most BBb tubas, especially for the money. It has a quick response in the rest of the range, at least the range that I can play (up to the F, 3 ledger lines above the bass clef). It also has what I would call the classic American tuba sound. It's a nice full round tone. It's not quite the sound of my Conn 21J or 20K, but it is nice.
I find the horn very comfortable to play. The leadpipe on the older model was a little too low for me. This one seems to just fall into place. It is a nice size and weight and is well balanced. Overall I would call it one of the better band horns that I have played. I liked it better than the Jupiter 582 or M-W 25 that I played side by side with it for comparison. The satin silver with bright trim looks very sharp too.