John Packer JP377 Eb Tuba 6 Month Review

[Three Valves]

Magnum's shorts.

Navy man.

Splains everything.

[Mary Ann]

In this video, check out the last chord. My stand partner @Tuba1153 is laying down a fat, growly pedal Bb, I'm providing the laser beam low Bb, and the Eb bass is topping it off with Bb in the staff (and all those other Bb's being played among the band). It's quite the sound, IMHO, and everybody is working hard and working together to line up and lay down a solid and deep foundation.



I love to play pedal tones (and I take most of the pedal C's b/c of 5 valves), but quite frankly, I very much like the sort of synergistic sound that we get when Mike plays pedal Bb on his 5/4 MW Bb, I play low Bb on the 496, and brother Dave plays the Bb in the staff on his Gronitz (Yorkish) piston Eb. And I also like to play those octaves on Eb! But I digress...

Um, I could swear I heard (French) horns in there instead of alto/tenor horns?
Unfortunately my speakers are not good enough to discern all those Bbs at the end but the band sounds great.
I played Eb in a brass band for years, on my 184 5U Mfone. Loved it; later on the NStar but my time with that tuba was somewhat short-lived.

[Tuba1153]

Um, I could swear I heard (French) horns in there instead of alto/tenor horns?
Unfortunately my speakers are not good enough to discern all those Bbs at the end but the band sounds great.
I played Eb in a brass band for years, on my 184 5U Mfone. Loved it; later on the NStar but my time with that tuba was somewhat short-lived.

Mary Ann, our tenor horn section has a very German sound to their playing style. But I can tell you for sure that they are tenor horns.

[2nd tenor]

As a side bar the post above lead me to this lovely performance of the Malvern Suite.

[Mary Ann]

Mary Ann, our tenor horn section has a very German sound to their playing style. But I can tell you for sure that they are tenor horns.

I don't hear French horns in this recording. The other one, I did. I don't think the other one was your band.....

[2nd tenor]

H’mm, that’s quite an achievement making Tenor Horns and Baritone Horns sound like French Horns.
For what it’s worth they’re a pretty good Band, we’ll IMHO.

The pictures don’t lie, and yes I did look real hard just to be certain.

[Tuba1153]

Mary Ann, our tenor horn section has a very German sound to their playing style. But I can tell you for sure that they are tenor horns.

I don't hear French horns in this recording. The other one, I did. I don't think the other one was your band.....

I can tell you that it is 100% the same group. I played on both of those performances as did @Doc. I am sure the outdoor vs indoor concert venues along with microphone locations has a lot to do with the sound.

[Doc]

Mary Ann, our tenor horn section has a very German sound to their playing style. But I can tell you for sure that they are tenor horns.

I don't hear French horns in this recording. The other one, I did. I don't think the other one was your band.....

Same band as the Star Wars tune I posted.

[2nd tenor]

I played Eb in a brass band for years, on my 184 5U Mfone. Loved it; later on the NStar but my time with that tuba was somewhat short-lived.

If my checks are correct then that’s a CC, but not one of the bigger ones.

https://simonettitubacollection.com/ins ... -5-rotary/

The packer mentioned at the start of the thread is a nice instrument, it’s similar to a Sovereign.

Perhaps I could temp you back to Brass Band playing again. I can manage virtually all of my music on a three valve Eb Bass and particularly so when I play the top line of a split part. My old three valve Besson Regent is far easier to play and carry about than my proper four valve Tuba, when the Sovereign eventually becomes too heavy for me to move and play then the Regent should allow me to keep playing indefinitely. With the possibility indefinite and interesting playing can you be tempted back to Brass Bands? Amongst other suppliers Packers will have something suitable, and maybe older simple second-hand Eb’s sometimes go for reasonable money in the USA.

[Mary Ann]

Our brass band, since the conductor retired a few years ago, has not been doing well. The conductorship was passed to someone who simply does not have the time (or apparently the inclination) to keep it going; it met sporadically last year but had no concerts, and he brought in a LOT of new people, as often happens with a new conductor, plus of course there was the last two years of mayhem. The board keeps trying to get the conductor to get something going, but so far nothing. He is in possession of all the music, at his house, so a simple removal is a bit difficult. The board is also not like most boards, because the previous conductor basically did 100% of everything and refused any help. I had a grand time playing Eb in that band.

I would gladly return to Eb but I was out, again, for several years due to illness and there is no open spot, even if they were rehearsing. My Miraphone 183 would work extremely well on the Eb part. I have actually been asked to play tenor horn but don't want to; I have focal dystonia and function much more reliably on a tuba cup.

[2nd tenor]

Our brass band, since the conductor retired a few years ago, has not been doing well. The conductorship was passed to someone who simply does not have the time (or apparently the inclination) to keep it going; it met sporadically last year but had no concerts, and he brought in a LOT of new people, as often happens with a new conductor, plus of course there was the last two years of mayhem. The board keeps trying to get the conductor to get something going, but so far nothing. He is in possession of all the music, at his house, so a simple removal is a bit difficult. The board is also not like most boards, because the previous conductor basically did 100% of everything and refused any help. I had a grand time playing Eb in that band.

I would gladly return to Eb but I was out, again, for several years due to illness and there is no open spot, even if they were rehearsing. My Miraphone 183 would work extremely well on the Eb part. I have actually been asked to play tenor horn but don't want to; I have focal dystonia and function much more reliably on a tuba cup.

That’s a tough break, sorry to hear of it and I hope that something works out for you. Your Miraphone is an Eb instrument and quite a tall one; we ‘don’t’ see Miraphones here in the UK and virtually all instruments have piston rather than rotary valves - that’s just how things have evolved and the JP377 is typical of what I see used here in Brass Bands and virtually all other music groups. I’m finding it very interesting to read about what others here on the tuba forum play.
https://www.horn-u-copia.net/show.php?s ... raphone%22

The Brass Band that I play in has six Tuba players but two spend 90% of their time out of the area (parent care), and two work shifts so can’t get to all rehearsals and performances which leaves just me and another guy who get along to pretty much most things. Sometimes the six of us play, it’s never been an issue having more basses (than the standard four) and maybe your Band might like to (after a ‘prompt’) consider reviewing their stance - flexibility on numbers has certainly helped our Brass Band and as a section it takes pressure off of us too.

With lack of rehearsals I can only suggest informally getting small groups together to play in quintets - not splinter groups as such but just folk keeping playing. There are other music sources but Matt Kingston has a whole raft of five part / small group stuff available on line; it’s not expensive, it’s not over challenging, it is flexible about what instrument plays what part, and it is entertaining music covering lots of different styles.
https://www.mattkingston.com/

‘focal dystonia and function’. It crosses my mind that that might possibly link to earlier comments about French Horns … but I could be completely wrong and hope that my comment will be taken in the kindly way that it’s intended.

[anadmai]

H’mm, that’s quite an achievement making Tenor Horns and Baritone Horns sound like French Horns.

As a 2nd Baritone player, I think I would cry if someone said that to me. I'd be like, "What did I do to hurt your feelings? Whatever I did I am sorry. Please take those words back.. I beg of you." Then I would start begging.

LOL.

[anadmai]

So far in Brit Brass Band on Eb bass, I've found it necessary to fill a lot of niches. Eb commonly plays in unison or octaves with the BBb's, occasionally in 5ths above (often split within the part), and sometimes other harmony intervals. There's a lot of playing in unison with the bass trombone. There's occasional (and often nerve-wracking) doubling of 2nd Baritone or 2nd Euphonium in their range, which may be really difficult.

My favorite 2nd Baritone/Eb Bass memory. May 1992 - On Stage at the Royal Albert Hall. Our Eb Bass player kept pinching me as hard as he could during the entire festival. We were sitting so close to each other that I was almost on top of him. I could tell at times when our parts were the same.

I will say falling asleep a few times while onstage might have had something to do with it.

In my search for an Eb Bass, I might give the 377 a blow. I assume the difference between the 277 and 377 is teh quality of brass?

[Doc]

there might be a slight difference in the brass, but the main difference for me is leadpipe height. the 277 has a very short pipe

[Doc]

The 277 has a short, straighter leadpipe and has a yellow brass bell, whereas the 377 has an 80:20 brass bell.

[anadmai]

What's the difference between the 80:20 and the yellow brass.

[Doc]

What's the difference between the 80:20 and the yellow brass.

80:20 is touted as being higher quality like goldbrass. @bloke, maybe you can better answer this question…?

[bloke]

80:20 is more brownish in color.
Typical yellow brass (ALL SORTS OF variations, and other types of metal in small amounts) is usually ROUGHLY 70:30 (copper:zinc).

The actual correct name for 80:20 is "low brass". Unlike 70:30, 80:20 is far less likely to rot (when exposed to lime/scale on the inside surfaces).

In the distant past, C. G. Conn used "low brass" to make all brass instruments which were scheduled to be silver plated, because silver bonded to the higher-copper alloy much better. Today (rather than this), plating techniques involve a very thin layer of copper plating as "glue" between 70:30 brass and silver plating (as well as between nickel-brass and silver plating).

80:20 brass does cost more, and involves a higher cost when instruments of made of this type of brass.
Mouthpipe tubes (if no other parts of particular models of instruments) are often either made of 80:20 or nickel-brass - since neither of these tend to rot.

I think I tend to hear a slightly prettier sound YET less projection when bells are made of 80:20 brass...but I could well be fooling myself.