Posted by Lee Stofer on October 24, 2003 at 07:51:36:
In Reply to: WHICH F TUBA? posted by BIG PHIL on October 23, 2003 at 12:56:13:
Opinions on F tubas are about as reliable as asking which girl you should marry - you'd better figure that one out yourself ;^)
Most F tubas are quite good, provided that they have no manufacturing defects and are properly serviced. I've never been able to warm up to the small Yamaha F tuba, was just never comfortable with it. The Yamaha 621 F is well-built, and does not have the traditional problems that German F tubas have had, but the Yamahas have problems of their own. The earlier B & S F tubas sound great but are suspect, durability-wise, particularly their valves and linkage. The earlier Meinl-Weston F tubas were as durable as tanks, and playing the low register was like trying to parallel-park a tank.
I've owned a 1967 Meinl-Weston that was great if you didn't have to go below the staff, a 1981 Cerveny CFB654-6 that was quite nice, and a 2001 Rudolf Meinl 4/4 F tuba that is possibly the best overall performer on the market today. I'll also mention that the small Walter Hilgers model F tuba from Meinl Weston is a very sweet-responding, good-sounding, fun-to-play F tuba, if not as large- and dark-sounding as the Rudolf Meinl.
Lee Stofer