TU422L BBb 3/4 tuba question.

[Thom]

Has anyone purchased the TU422L 3/4 BBb 4 FA valve tuba from Mack Brass. I am thinking about getting one because the Conn 80J 5/4 4 FA valve I have is too big for me to haul around, let alone play. Just wondering if anyone has an opinion on that tuba, the TU422L?

[arpthark]

I don't have any specific experience with this model, but it is a Chinese copy of the Yamaha 621 BBb tuba. I know Tom's website says it is based on a 103 but the specs/bore/layout are identical to the 621.

Tom is a professional tuba player and vouches for all his instruments, and I think they are all play tested in his shop. I've found customer service with Mack Brass to be great, so I wouldn't worry too much about the country of origin.

[bone-a-phone]

I have one. It's a decent tuba. Make sure to get the 16" bell on it. I didn't try the 14", but you wouldn't want anything smaller. The worst thing about the instrument has been getting the slides to work reliably as they tend to stick. I'm a trombone player, and I have been able to honk to my satisfaction on it. I got it early in the pandemic. I'm driving distance from Mack, so I went over to his warehouse and tried it out (and paid cash).

I've only played a few different tubas, and none of them very good ones, so I can't get too detailed about it's characteristics. But I am more choosy about trombones, and this is at least easy to play. I haven't blamed my intonation issues on the instrument because A) I have trombone chops B) I'm constantly trying to use too small a mouthpiece with it C) I doubt anyone would notice which side of the pitch I play on anyway, probably due to the flamboyant dancing.

My tuba playing is more like enthusiastic percussive wind bursts. Kind of like the guy around here who thinks he sings Sinatra, but just shouts short notes and slides into or off of them in such a way you can't really tell what he intended to do. I'm sometimes off by a partial, not often two partials, usually just one. And sometimes I get the fingering mixed up - is that for the octave up or the octave down? Details. It's more about enthusiasm than details.

I've played a couple of paid gigs on my Mack too, in case you thought I was some rank amateur. One was a Christmas gig. We played carols and got paid sammiches. The other was for the Kiwanis or something, and we got $20. It was hard to split that 12 ways, but the accordion player was an accountant and he figured it out.

Anyway, my guess is that between the player and the horn, the horn is fine.

[arpthark]

I've played a couple of paid gigs on my Mack too, in case you thought I was some rank amateur. One was a Christmas gig. We played carols and got paid sammiches. The other was for the Kiwanis or something, and we got $20. It was hard to split that 12 ways, but the accordion player was an accountant and he figured it out.

[Three Valves]

I got one.

The slides and sound are not as “good” as my Accent/B&S.

It weighs 10lb less and fits in my car easily.

My band mate has a YAMAHA 621 and they are nearly identical.

His slides and valves are better.

But mine still sounds better!