F Tubas

At close to 200 years old, tubas are actually among the newest members of the brass instrument family - but there has still been plenty of time for them to branch out into a range of different styles and designs. The F tubas you'll find in this section are some of the more interesting examples, with a high amount of potential just waiting to be tapped into... if you're skilled enough to pull it off! That's because F is the highest key of tuba in common use, which gives them a higher upper-end with the tradeoff of needing more valves to extend their lower-end to include the full tuba range. But if you've got nimble fingers, that's a trade you might be willing to make.

Unlike other tubas which can have as few as 3, the valve counts on F tubas usually start at 5. And while there are plenty of piston-valve options like the Miraphone 1281 Petruschka Series 5-Valve 5/4 F Tuba, this is also a section where you'll find lots of instruments equipped with rotary valves, including the B&S 5099/2/W Series 5-Valve F Tuba and the Meinl Weston 45 SLZ 6/4 5 Rotary Valve F Tuba, to name just two. Looking to make the jump to 6 valves for improved intonation and range? That'll take you to exclusively rotary-valve territory, with instruments such as the Miraphone 281 Firebird Series 6-Valve 5/4 F Tuba and the B&S 3100 Series 6-Valve 5/4 F Tuba 3100-L.

Naturally, there's nobody else but yourself who can decide which of these F tubas will be the best fit for your personal playing style and musical needs. So take your time to consider all the options and weigh out the pros and cons of materials, finishes, valve counts, bell types and more. When you find the instrument that meets your criteria in all these kinds of specs, it'll be safe to say you've found the perfect F tuba to carry you into the next chapter of your musician's journey.