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Thread: First impressions Mack TU200S

  1. #1

    First impressions Mack TU200S

    I thought I'd post of few of my first impressions about the new Mack Brass Tuba that I've purchased recently.
    I've monitored the chatter about clones for many years and have noticed the shift in acceptance and improvement in quality.
    I'm an experienced player that has been off the Tuba for quite a few years and missed playing. My background in playing is in the US Army Bands
    and also played Principal Tuba for one season with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra. I left the military in 1995 and stopped playing the Tuba in 1999.
    My playing the last few years has been on a Conn 15I Euphonium and infrequent. I purchased the horn from Mack Brass and it seemed the logical route as it doesn't make sense to spend 10K on a horn at this point in my life with my sons getting ready for college over the next couple of years.

    Fit & Finish - I purchased the horn in silver plate. The plating
    looks well done. I do notice when looking closely at the horn that the reflection is "Skewed" slightly as if the horn were slightly dented
    but its not. I suspect the bell and throat of the horn are not perfectly flat (smooth) that may cause this. It is not noticeable unless you are
    either holding the horn or very very close to it. Not a big deal at all to me. If one were a perfectionist it might bother you.
    If that's the case you'll need your checkbook with plenty of cash for a new Miraphone. The job on the plating seems
    to be very good. I can see a couple of areas (that are in the really hard to get to nooks and crannys) that maybe aren't perfect.
    I have had two silver horns previous to this. A (B&S)VMI 3302 and a Miraphone 186 and both were new. I can tell you that the fit and finish
    is not on par with either. I can also tell you that the difference is not enough to matter to me. Your mileage may vary on this as it
    is up to each person to decide what is important to them.
    Playing Characteristics - I have not tried this horn with a tuner yet. I have had the opportunity to plan on the horn quite a bit.
    This model comes with a long bell and the overall lengh of the horn is somewhere around 42-43 inches. The sound is nice. It is a more focused sound and
    I'm sure the Model 210 will get a much broader sound. I like the sound of the horn and it has a much better low range than I was expecting. It speaks easily
    in the lower register and the slides are easy to get to to adjust when working downward chromatically to the fundamental. This horn reminds me of a
    VMI 2103 BBb tuba that I owned years ago. I liked that horn as well. The upper range on this horn is also very nice. I was able to play comfortably to Eb
    and F above the staff without adding pressure. The sound is very nice in the upper register. I did notice a lot of muddiness in my playing around the High Bb area
    but that is more to my lack of chops at this point than the horn. The mouthpiece that comes with the horn is not half bad. I am using my
    PT-44 mouthpiece but a student would do well with the stock mouthpiece. Similar to a medium Bach design. I will be looking at other mouthpieces to see how they
    perform with this horn.
    The rotary valves are very smooth and quiet. I like them. I have always preferred piston valves to rotary but these work just fine.
    I've heard negative comments about the rotary valves on these horns but in my opinion those comments are not justified. These valves are nice.
    Are they "Brand new Miraphone nice"? No, but they are nice and will provide a lifetime of usage if taken care of I'm sure. I unscrewed the back
    valve caps and put oil on the rotors. The caps came off nicely. I was careful in putting them back on to not force and possible strip
    the threads. There was no issue and the caps go on and off easily. The slides are all easy to move and are nickel-silver. They are not as
    snug as some horns I've had but they work fine and again, are easy to move. The horn itself is a heavy horn and the bracing seems to be well
    done over all the horn. I haven't seen any instances of weak soldering, etc. All in all a nice horn and definitely worth the $1995 price tag.
    The laquer model sells for $1695 and is a real bargain I think. I see no reason that these horns would not do well in a school setting. Probably the most durable
    horns are the King 2341s and the Miraphones but with tight school budgets those are out of reach. I would rather have a student playing one of these than one of the
    inexpensive "pea shooter" 3/4 and 1/2 size tubas that I've seen. Just my opinion.
    I would recommend to anyone considering a horn to give these horns a look. The model 210 would probably be the horn that I would recommend most due to the
    overall size and the sound capable in the horn. I bought the 200 as it meets my current needs. I'd be glad to share info if anyone has questions. Purchasing a
    Tuba or Euphonium is a big investment and worthy of research and feedback. I hope this non-professional account helps!
    Last edited by Davidus1; 06-02-2015 at 02:40 PM.

  2. #2
    Great review at the hands of someone that really knows what he's talking about. Thanks!

  3. #3
    Thanks Pat. I appreciate the comment.

  4. #4
    I took the slides all out of the horn last night and had failed to notice previously that the 2nd valve slide and the 3rd valve slide (in the back) are brass. The other slides are nickel. Definitely noticeable on a silver horn. I think these are the types of things that will be dealt with on a cloned instrument. Again, it comes down to personal preference and budget.

  5. #5
    I wanted to follow-up about the TU 200. I've read almost all positive reviews about these horns and I have to say that I'm enjoying it. I just finished playing one season with a local community band and the horn did really well. I took the horn in for a chem cleaning and had the bumpers replaced and the valves work very very well. They worked well before but I didn't have the time for a full cleaning. I have the TU 200 model which has a taller bell. I feel that the sound really cuts through the ensemble and it was a pleasure to play. The compact model 210 seems to be a great horn as well. A former navy tuba player came to one rehearsal and had bought the 210. He's a fine player and sounded great on the horn. I don't think you can go wrong with either. Are the valves as smooth and quiet as a brand new Miraphone? No, but they are smooth and as quiet as many of the used Miraphones I've played.

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