Which Tuba Is The Best In The Land
We talked about tubas meant for students a while back and have decided that we wanted to visit this again. The reason we did this is we are tired of seeing parents getting sucked into what the band director wants the kids to have when a different tuba can do just as good, if not better of a job. This may make sense to some parents who see the tubas as a major expense, which they can be, but also notice the band directors tend to select a tuba for the kids to use that always seems to cost a fortune. With that being the case, we have decided that we are going to compare the Tempest BBb Rotary Tuba to the Band Directors Choice BBb Student Tuba.
Features Of The Tempest Tuba
This is a tuba that has a 15 inch bell at the top of it. This is going to allow for a good projection of the sound, but also make it easier for your students to stand out with the quality of the sound.
With the Tempest brand tuba you will find that it has a brass body, but it has a very beautiful nickel trim that is silver in color. This will make it easier for the tuba to have a great look to it, but also know the kids are going to like it as well. Something else is this will make it easier for the kids to know they have to maintain this to have it look great all the time.
Finally the size of the Tempest BBb Tuba is more of a compact design. The tuba actually is only 31 inches tall, but when it comes to width it is only 21 inches wide. This is going to make it easier for you to get the tuba and know your kids can actually handle the size in relation to a full sized tuba that seems like it would kill your kids.
Features Of The Band Directors Choice Student Tuba
The Band Directors Choice Tuba is going to have the BBb quality of sound that you would expect to have, but it also is going to have a great sound to it as well as the bore is almost the same size of the Tempest, but is only .12 inches smaller. So only a fraction of an inch smaller compared to the other tubas on the market.
With this tuba the pistons are hand lapped which is going to make it easier for your kids to have a noiseless transition when they are working over the valves on the tuba. So this makes it quite a bit easier for the students to have a good tuba and know the sound is not going to disappoint them.
It is a lacquer body that has a nickel trim. This is a nice body because it tends to allow the students to avoid having to clean it as often, but it will still have a great shine that the students will enjoy looking at when they are playing the tuba.
How Are The Tempest Tuba And Band Directors Choice Alike?
Both of these tubas have a more compact size compared to the full sized tubas that you may have seen or grew up with. This makes it easier for the students to have a tuba that they are going to be able to handle and not have to worry about it being to much for them to work with.
These tubas both belong to the BBb type of tuba. This in turn makes it easier for the kids to have a tuba that will fit in and is the most common of the tubas that are on the market right now. So the kids can finally have a good sounding instrument and not have to be worried about it not functioning properly.
How Are The Tempest Tuba And The Band Directors Choice Tuba Different?
The finish is one of the primary differences you will notice. Yes, the Tempest cost quite a bit more than the Band Directors, but the finish is going to look a lot better than what you would expect. So you will find the look is going to be better and if you want your students to stand out this could be the option you want to make because the finish will have a higher type of gloss.
Bell size is something else that is different. Even with the difference only being a little over a tenth of an inch it can make a difference ever so slight, to the ear of a music lover or even to the director. So the larger bell may be the best option for you to pick for your student.
So Which Tuba Should You Choose?
If you want to get your kids a tuba that has a good sound quality, but may not have the same shimmering and shiny look that you want them to have, then you will want to consider the Band Directors Choice, this is a less expensive option. However, if your kids are serious about the tuba and want to learn even more about how to play it and continue on the music path, then you may want to consider the tempest which is a brass with a silver type of nickel trim. This way they will have a tuba that can last them a lifetime. Either way your kids are going to love the instrument you pick, but like we said if they aspire to continue to play for several years then you may want to save yourself some money and go ahead and buy the Tempest BBb Tuba.
Other Valuable Tuba Links
Best Tubas For Student
Tempest Agility Tuba Review
Dillon Music 995 BBB Review
Ravel 4 Valve Tuba Review
Yamaha YBB 201WC3
Comparing Tempest To Band Directors Student Tubas
Best Student Tuba Under 2000 Bucks