Posted by Andrew C on September 29, 2000 at 10:20:48:
In Reply to: F Tubas vs. Besson 983 Eb posted by Fletcher Wanna-Be on September 28, 2000 at 23:34:32:
Actually I was also in the market for an F tuba a few months ago and was also disappointed with what I found. Compared to the bog-standard B&H/Besson EEb compensating tuba the vast majority of Fs (of the German type) have stuffiness around the C two octaves down from concert middle C which is completely unacceptable to British players who, for 120 years, have been 'spoilt' by the free-blowing standard British models. Even the custom-ordered B&H/Besson F tubas (which could be pretty dreadful) were not stuffy blowers (their main problem being bad intonation). There again continental players would complain about British tuba-stuffiness about a fifth lower than that low C where funnily enough a lot of German F tubas start freeing up again. It's all down to what you're used to and what you're willing to put up with. Like John Fletcher I've stuck by my old pre-Sovereign EEb tuba (1980 vintage) which is definitely a better instrument build-and-blow-wise.