10 replies to this topic

[Jrblack100]

Miraphone, Yamaha, Cervany are very good...but bottom line is your section needs to play on the same brand of tuba to eliminate problems with tuning.

[redman]

The problem I find is that there are many well made tubas available today so to ask what the "best" is becomes a difficult question to answer.

We just purchased some new tubas and had the good fortune to have run across the Dalyan brand last winter. We checked them out with our low brass guy and decided for the price this was the best way to go.

The horns sounded great and have very sturdy linkage and bracing but the closer was the sound. We have some of the Berlin models scheduled for delivery at the end of the summer and will probably get the Orff model for our Middle School.

We also took into consideration service and parts from the distributor and are very saticfied that Orpheus Music will treat us well.

Good luck if your still looking.

[tptman]

I think the Yamaha tubas are very good when it comes to durability and intonation. I think the St. Petersburg instruments aren't the best, neither are the Cerveny. If you're looking for a rotory valve tuba, look for one made in Germany. No country does rotory valves better than Germany. Look for names like Miraphone, Meinl Wesson, and Gerhard Baier. If you don't go with Rotory, try to find the tuba that has the most bracing, and has stainless steel pistons (actually better than Monel pistons). Certain "American" companies rotory tubas are actually made over in Germany too.

[Michael]

I'm a fan of St. Petersburg tubas. They offer a lot of punch for the price.

Michael

[Michael]

sdeuel, on Dec 2 2006, 01:17 PM, said:

I'm always hesitant to look at tubas that are "Good for the price". Think about it. The tuba section is certainly one of the most important sections in the band. They determine much of the overall sound of the band because they supply the bass - which directly determines the intonation of the entire band. The tuba is one instrument I think should always be simply "GOOD" not just "Good for the price". If I spent $500 on a tuba that was made of real brass and came with a mouthpiece, it's probably "Good for the price" but it's going to destroy the sound of your band. Find a way to get enough money to get very good tubas, and I think you'll thank yourself for many years in the future.

I'm talking about spending $3,500 vs. $5000 or more. That extra money can go a long ways in a HS band budget.

Michael

[Michael]

That is exactly what I'm saying: A full size 4/4 St. Petersburg Tuba will run about $3,500. It has a beautiful full sound. Much better than a typical tuba for the same price.

Example from a website:


Yamaha YBB-105 Standard 3/4 Tuba
The smaller size of the 105 makes it an ideal instrument for beginners, and its many fine qualities make it an instrument you can stay with as you...
Price: $3,236.01
List Price: $4,793.00