Miraphone has designed an original piston F tuba that is heralded as one of the best F tubas...ever. It has 4 valve front action pistons and a 5th rotor, a .772"-.803" conical bore, vented valves, and a 16.5" bell. It compares very nicely with the Gronitz PF125, but the Miraphone is a bit smaller and heavier. The Petruschka is also compared to the Yamaha YFB822, but versus to the Yamaha, the Miraphone is also a slightly smaller and more focused sounding instrument. This is a medium-size, weighty tuba with a spectacular low range. Every note is right on. Compared to a Gronitz, the Miraphone is less velvety, more centered, with more raw projection and a good bark to it. This tuba is sold without case, but surprisingly, it's a great fit in the very tiny MTS 1205V hard case, which is made in Elkhart Indiana. Glenn Cronkhite also makes a soft case to fit, and Miraphone also offers a soft case by special order. A story I like is that the German players traditionally all play rotary instruments, and within the country, it's not "German enough" if you play a piston horn. Markus Theinert, the former president of Miraphone and a very fine tuba soloist, was not really expecting to like this model for himself, but found he could not put it down, and ended up taking the first one to a gig as soon as the tuba was ready. If the German players like a piston horn, you know it's good.
We especially like the consistency of these Miraphone F tubas. They all play well, with no difficult notes or pitch issues. This is one of the few F tubas you can buy sight unseen and you don't have to worry. They are outstanding. We play test every one as well.
Included: mouthpiece and lubricants. Case is sold separately.
model 1281 "Petruschka"
Says Miraphone...
The F tuba 1281 “Petruschka“ is a real “multi-talent”, easily lending itself to participation in every ensemble and offering all a tuba player could hope for, even large orchestra settings. Despite its lean figure, the “Petruschka“ produces a symphonic tone quality with enormous sound-carrying potential due to the large bore size of the piston valve section. Ergonomic proportions and a total height of only 85 cm (33.4 inches) allow for easy playability. For the soloist, this model is a dream leaving no wishes unfulfilled.