TubaForum.net

Hello all,
many instrument manufacturers ask me for an assessment and a sound sample of their instruments. Of course, I am very, very happy to do that.
Today, the Eastman EBB825VG BBb tuba.
An extremely good tube in terms of craftsmanship. It feels very good in the hand and is fantastic to play. The sound is for a 4/4 tuba very nice round and dark.
An overall very good playing 4/4 BBb tuba with excellent response and intonation. Balanced sound.
Conclusion: Absolutely recommendable!

Enjoy listening!!!

I need to begin to realize that E stands for the brand.

Every time I see one of those model numbers, I think it's an E-flat tuba.

-I have the Eastman EBB-562 which was the first version of this horn and am very happy with it. Nice to see more reviews on these. Thanks for posting.

Thank you for your answere. It is a good Tuba. I like it too

Grigoriev is sort of an underrated method book. Some nice melodies in there. And you sound great, of course.

arpthark wrote: ↑Sun Aug 06, 2023 4:30 pm Grigoriev is sort of an underrated method book. Some nice melodies in there. And you sound great, of course.

I absolut agree with you! It's a super book to practice.
Thank you for the compliment

There are 2 books. 50 studies and 78 studies. I use both for myself and my students. Check them out. I have an 825v on order for myself. Looking forward to learning it.

If this model is better than the 562, this is going to be a really good tuba.

MikeMason wrote: ↑Mon Aug 07, 2023 6:57 am There are 2 books. 50 studies and 78 studies. I use both for myself and my students. Check them out. I have an 825v on order for myself. Looking forward to learning it.

Mike, they're great books! Some of them are super tricky!

.

peterbas wrote: ↑Tue Aug 08, 2023 4:26 am

Doc wrote: ↑Mon Aug 07, 2023 10:02 am If this model is better than the 562, this is going to be a really good tuba.

Daniel says it is a 4/4 instrument but Chris Olka compares it to the big Bbs used in german orchestras, so that means he classifies it as an 5/4.
Daniel surely makes it sound like a 5/4.
But the only difference seems a 1 inch big bell.
Could you compare the 562 with a Miraphone 1291 or 191 or is it more like a 186 size?

I have done YouTube reviews of the 562 and the 496, and I also did a big B-flat comparison video. I also owned at 1291 for a number of years. I will try to post those, although the audio is not as revealing online as it is in person.

The 562 is NOT the same size as a 186. It is comparable to a 1291 BBb, but without the large bore. The bell throat on the 562 might be bigger, but I can’t positively confirm that. The 562 has a very good low range… maybe not the wide open hammer of the 1291, but easy to play nonetheless. I don’t know if the 562 is truly a big 5/4 tuba, but it is certainly not 4/4.

Either way, I would be very satisfied to have a 562 as a B flat. The only reason I sold mine was because I liked the 496 so much better. The 496 had more of a true 5/4 sound, and I could get more of a Kaiser type sound out of it when I stepped on the gas. Obviously, the 496 was much more expensive also.

peterbas wrote: ↑Tue Aug 08, 2023 4:26 am

Doc wrote: ↑Mon Aug 07, 2023 10:02 am If this model is better than the 562, this is going to be a really good tuba.

Daniel says it is a 4/4 instrument but Chris Olka compares it to the big Bbs used in german orchestras, so that means he classifies it as an 5/4.
Daniel surely makes it sound like a 5/4.
But the only difference seems a 1 inch big bell.
Could you compare the 562 with a Miraphone 1291 or 191 or is it more like a 186 size?

Isn't the 562 basically a B&S GR-51 clone? I think Chris Olka details the changes they made to the 562 for the 825 in his video.

Look at all the Americans interested in b-flats.

Yup, the 825 bell is an inch bigger than the 562. Would love to try them side-by-side.

I have a 562 and really like it. Nice tone, big sound, easy to play in tune - tuba is my double, so it checks all the important boxes. Only real complaints I have is that the rotors aren't as smooth as the B&S 51 - and the low register on the 562 (while quite nice) is probably 90% what the B&S 51 is. Those two I've tried side-by-side at length. If the 825 improves on those two areas I could be convinced to seek an upgrade.

Agree with Joe, those model numbers starting with "E" throw me off.

Proud to be an American! :)

If anyone is interested, I have both the 526 and 825VG in stock for a side by side comparison. Both are fantastic horns but I do like the extra valve and extra sound/girth the larger bell allows.

Anyone know if these have vented valves?

They are not vented. And I still have a B-stock 825V in stock.

A bit surprising, with the attention to the functionality of the first slide, that at least first isn’t vented. Especially considering the 534, mainly aimed at the school market, is all vented. My new one is due tomorrow or Tuesday . Looking forward to it.

I'm still slightly fascinated re: what's going to ultimately happen with Buffet retailing for dealer cost vs. Eastman probably continuing to very gradually bump up their prices, so that they eventually end up being priced the same for the extremely similar models. One has a bunch of dealers and promotes a lot, and the other has no dealers and a bunch of band directors not even knowing that they exist, yet they are made in Europe...
...and then, there are the Buffet "International" Wisemann instruments...