Miraphone 1281 Petruschka Piston F Tuba
$10,650.00 $12,954.00
Item Details
Arriving in September 2023, we have a new 1281 with some customs options available. In yellow brass, this one has loose 1st and 4th slides with cord stops. Available a la carte, with gig bag or hard case. Pre-order at a special price through the drop-down menu.
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.
We usually keep these in stock in lacquer. Silver plate is available by special order and is built in about 60 days.
model 1281 "Petruschka"
- bell diameter 420 mm (16.535")
- 443 Hz
- 5/4
- without lyre holder
- without strap ring
- piston valves
- 5th valve = rotary valve
- bore of valve section conical 19.6 - 20.4 mm (0.772 - 0.803")
- front action
- vented valves for pressure compensation
- material of mouthpipe gold brass
- mouthpiece TU27
- lacquered or silver plated
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.
