TubaForum.net

What do I need to know about them other than that cost money, they consume even more space than the stuff I already have, they don't play very well (tuning), I couldn't imagine using one on a gig, and they don't sound like tubas?

bloke "the curmudgeon/stirrer who awkwardly identifies what the emperor is actually wearing"

Travel tubas make me wanna BERP, or something like that…

There is a lady in her late 80s and wheelchair bound who brings a MW travel tuba to tuba Christmas. I think it is awesome that she can keep playing.

Before condemning *all* travel tubas, give the ZO "little dragons" a honk. They come in F, Eb, CC and BBb. No matter how wonky they look, they actually play pretty well and sound 'tuba-esque' (something the others can't claim). Here's a clip I found of someone playing the Eb ZO.

If I ever have to go back to living in a small travel trailer, ok, I'll get one of those.

I've heard that those play pretty well, and I have no reason to disbelieve it. Already owning a cimbasso (which is a superb instrument, luckily, and which points in the correct direction for an instrument with a trombone type of sound), I guess I really haven't felt any desire to own one of those.

bloke wrote: ↑Thu Aug 15, 2024 8:26 am ...with a trombone type of sound....

They don't make a trombone type sound. I mean, you can overpower any type of brass instrument to get that overdriven sound (witness: Roger Bobo), but that's a choice.

bloke wrote: ↑Thu Aug 15, 2024 8:26 am I've heard that those play pretty well, and I have no reason to disbelieve it. Already owning a cimbasso (which is a superb instrument, luckily, and which points in the correct direction for an instrument with a trombone type of sound), I guess I really haven't felt any desire to own one of those.

Did you listen to the clip he posted? Just wondering. That's an Eb tuba all the way.

Yes. I'm going to assume that the fuzz is a recording flaw. The sound is sort of between euphonium and cimbasso and reminiscent of those attempts at building cimbassos whereby people use marching baritone bugles and bells.

I don't have any particular criticism of it, but I don't have any place to sell that type of sound, whereby I've already got something else which would do better.

By the way, by calling it a "tuba" you've sort of totally negated anyone's argument that the acronym T.U.B.A. is exclusive of euphoniums or any other tuba types of instruments, so congratulations on that even though that probably wasn't particularly your intention.

There goes contrairion Joe, trolling every thread again

Yes, it sounds like a small tuba, it probably sounds richer and deeper than my first Eb. (14 inch bell Conn)


Depending how they are miced, small tubas can be very useful

The most concise description I can give you is "ballast"

You can accuse me of trolling when you disagree with me, but I disagree with you, and everything I said was based on sincere observations. It kind of sounds like the demos I've heard of those marching baritone cimbassos except with fuzz in the recording.

Here's something just as sincere and blunt: if you think it sounds better than your first E flat tuba, well didn't you sell that one - or take it apart or something - and get/make a better one?
...and you are trailing way off of the original post - which didn't particularly judge those things, but only asked why I should sacrifice a few more square feet of space - as well as financial assets - to own a travel tuba.

I talked to ZO (in the past, several years ago) asking them if they had an F tuba, and they showed me a picture of one of those (about which I already knew) telling me that that was their F tuba. Okay fine...and it may sound a little bit better than the things called "travel tubas", but they didn't represent it as a "travel tuba".

Cheap ones aren’t good.
Good ones aren’t cheap.

If the need for practice while traveling were to be an issue for me (never has been, never will…) I would use a length of plastic tubing or a BERP-type thing (they both provide resistance) to buzz for conditioning. People in this thread are talking about using these for very small tuba performance. If or when the need for that arises, I’d make another choice.

“I have a 103 in reserve for that day…”

The ZO things:
I've blown into those things that shows. The first audio track is fuzzy (along with cathedral-esque reverberation). The second one is a recording of someone playing into a microphone (which is nearly parallel to the bell rim) - the sound of which is adulterated by amplification whereby there are all sorts of sound adjustment knobs. I don't understand how those audio tracks are supposed to make any sort of point.
If someone here owns one and is using it commercially (OK...including the ZO), what sort of applications?

When I used to do a lot of polka jobs - whereby four of us tried to sound like twelve of us, we brought a whole bunch of extra instruments, some of which were sight gags (such as a flugabone, even though we might already have a valve trombone - which sounds the same). I could see bringing something like that along as a sight gag, but it's a pretty expensive one - even the Chinese ones, yes?

Not sure I would ever use one professionally without a microphone, but if a mic was an option and I had to stand with my instrument, you betcha I would look at getting one

LeMark wrote: ↑Thu Aug 15, 2024 10:49 am Not sure I would ever use one professionally without a microphone, but if a mic was an option and I had to stand with my instrument, you betcha I would look at getting one

OK...You've convinced me.
The reason to buy one is "to sell one to Mark".
Which length is your preference, just in case I find a pretty one for crazy cheap?



bloke "There's a difference between a joke and a troll, yes?"

I'm just saying in certain situations, they could prove very useful

Maybe (??) when I was doing a lot of touring with a jazz band (c. early-mid 80's - mostly west coast and Europe), I might (?? ) have used one...
I left the big bass at home, and brought the Fender (for size/fragility considerations...as any borrowed double bass is ALWAYS a horrible p.o.s.)

It REALLY would have been nice to have had access (way back then) to an $89 Chinese/Malaysian/whatever bass guitar (rather than the now-vintage Fender - which is advertised on this site...btw person: ARE you still planning on buying this rig, as discussed?) Customs peeps ALWAYS hassled the HELL out of me (assuming that I had brought that Fender Jazz bass into their country to SELL it - rather than simply to USE is).

back in the 80's...access to a ZO thing (to toss under planes)...??
OK: nah...I'm pretty sure I would have still taken my TUBA with me...or (had baggage handling been as $h!tty - back then - as it is now) I probably would have bought some pawn shop JAPANESE (equivalent - back then - to Chinese today) bass and not even messed with bringing a tuba.

(Back then - prior to the concept of using airliners as weapons - you could tip a skycap, and they would hand-carry your musical instrument all the way to the plane. )

Just because I feel the need to derail the topic a bit, thanks for posting the video, Mark. I do enjoy Stas' playing.

I would have loved to have one of those MW travel tubas back when they came out. When I was on a tour bus for 7 straight weeks I would have to carry a SLP or later a Firebird in a bag on a bus. It sat in the seat with bungee cords securing it, leaving me very little space. I had to do this if I was to get any type of warm up or practice while my CC was buried in an equipment semi. The old guys would never think of this. They took a nap when they got to the hotel, ate dinner, got on the bus for the performance, arrived with 25 minutes before downbeat, got dressed, sipped coffee and planned that night's drinking spot, went on stage where their horn was and played a tuning note. Rinse and repeat for 7 weeks.

I could not do that. I sucked at cold tuba.

Having one of those detachable bell MW's would have been great. But (back then) $7000? PFFFFFFFFFFT. Nope.

OT: This reminds me of seeing the tuba god Tom Lyckberg come in to the USMB band hall after a 3-week vacation, reach into his locker and beat the paddles of his Rudi to free up the glazed rotors, grab the horn, sit down right as the oboe was giving the tuning note for a rehearsal, play his Bb, then open his folder of music he had never seen before. It was then that he promptly schooled the rest of us on proper tuba playing. The stones on that guy were legendary.