The best CONCERT tubas for bands - more strong opinions re: epic wastes of money

[Three Valves]

I make it clear with beginners that the only reason we use 1-2-3 for a B natural is because the school district is too cheap to provide the 4 valve instruments.

For that statement you would be fired and blackballed here in Maryland!

One can't even say Baltimore City Schools spend the most per capita yet achieve the lowest results, because, well, you know...

[bloke]

I've been on the 3 valve compensating sousa kick for years, but I don't exactly see them as an option right now

would you show up to an important symphony gig with a 3 valve instrument? would you attempt to play Prokofiev 5 on a 3 valve BBb? If not, why not? High standards?

I was reminded at a community band concert recently why High school Euphoniums here are compensating. we played the persichetti symphony for band with a bunch of low C's below the staff. Glad the entire section had compensating 4 valve instruments, or I would have been telling anyone who didn't to lay out on those notes.

Those are private purchases made at one's own option and above and beyond necessities and certainly infinitely beyond public necessity. I'm talking about bilking the taxpayers for stuff that children mess with, rarely even oil, and drop on the floor, that's about three times more expensive than stuff they need "because I'm not spending my own money".

Your Tex-as is showing.

[LeMark]

maybe we just have higher standards than most other places

actually, no "maybe" about it.

Your world is clearly not my world. The dystopian horror stories you frequently use on this board are the exception around here, not the rule. Expand your POV beyond Memphis for a change


I'll ask again, would you show up to a demanding, high paying and high pressure job with a 3 valve sousaphone? If the answer is no, then don't expect students in Texas to. Before covid I remember walking through a band hall on my way out the door and had to just STOP and marvel at a JUNIOR HIGH band playing the 1st movement of Four Scottish Dances. I muttered to myself... "God Blessed Texas"

[bloke]

Texans are hilarious.

"My son is better than your son where y'all are over
In Alabama, because my son drives a Lexus to school, and - btw - our washer and dryer are front loading Maytags (which we bought new), and we bought the stands for them, too."

"Our bands always got straight ones, but the judges wanted to give us a -2, because we played so much better than a one."

bloke "It's the same sort of island mentality that is characteristic of people who live in Manhattan."

[LeMark]

My daughter drove a 2005 hand me down Altima to school, before that it was a 1998 pontiac sunfire.

We have older Kenmore washer and dryers here, you know, the kind that are easy to repair if and when they break

Do you have a problem with a school district striving for excellence? Or do you want the whole world to be like Memphis?

Please answer my question about using the sousaphone on an High paying orchestra gig, seems like you might have one standard for yourself, and another for those that you deem "not worthy of nice things"

[bloke]

The Whataburger thing is funny too, along with the professional sports teams

[LeMark]

The Whataburger thing is funny too, along with the professional sports teams

Not a fan of whataburger, they have had a sharp slide of mediocracy for the last 20 years. I'm more of an freddy's or culvers person

I dont watch professional sports, I'm tired of corporate welfare

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, how about you answer the sousaphone question? You're the one that started the conversation.

[arpthark]

[bloke]

..uhh.. I like King sousaphones. They're not made very well anymore in my opinion. JP sousaphones are made better. King sousaphones still play just a little bit better in tune, but cost more than double.

What else is there to say?

OK...
Olds and Reynolds are interesting, but most of them are worn out as are Martin.

Both sizes of Conn Elkhart production instruments have their tuning quirks that are sort of stumbling block level, but they're still okay. The current replicas/version of the 20K sousaphone to me is a real head scratcher, but band directors seem to be short action crazy and spend 12 or more thousand dollars a piece on them of taxpayer money, and stand in line behind each other to do so.
The only Yamaha instrument that I think is pretty interesting is the 826c, and I'm not interested in buying or owning one of those. Everything else that they make as far as a tuba is concerned is very uninteresting to me including their sousaphone.
I haven't seen any Eastman sousaphones in a long time, but those that I saw a long time ago looked to be replicas of Yamaha... so I don't know anything about those anymore.

Okay. I've exhausted the subject of sousaphonics...

... other than Adams, those that Miraphone used to sell, lower grade chinese, 100-year-old Bueschers, 50-year-old Selmer USA's, and some goofball Italian and Czechoslovakian ones.

[LeMark]

Please answer my question about using the sousaphone on an High paying orchestra gig, seems like you might have one standard for yourself, and another for those that you deem "not worthy of nice things"

I will remind you that you started this discussion

[bloke]

It seems to me that post asking questions about high paying orchestra jobs - when the topic is public school bands is - well - Texan.

You are trying to coax me to say things that I would shrug off - having heard astonishing things that can be done with a Conn 36k fiberglass sousaphone and nothing else but intensive self guidance.

[kingrob76]

The point is standards. If you wouldn't do a gig on a sousaphone, dont expect anyone else with high standards to do the same.