Olds/Reynolds upright tubas
Some folks get confused talking about the Olds 0-099 tubas and the Reynolds tubas that were very similar or the same. There were small and large Olds and Reynolds tubas. Below is a picture that demonstrates the huge difference in the sizes of Olds & Reynolds tubas. If I remember correctly, these were both Olds tubas:
Double-belled Euphoniums
These instruments are often misunderstood. They can only produce sound through one bell at a time. And... the pitch is the same whichever bell is being used. Only the timbre changes. The larger bell sounds like a typical euphonium while the smaller bell produces a more trombone-like sound. The tubing leading to the smaller bell is more tubular and less conical than the tubing on the larger bell side of the horn. The DB euph on the left is a Conn. It has three top-action valves and a change valve on the side to divert the sound to the smaller bell. The horn on the right is a Buescher. It has three front-action valves and a change valve that can be operated with the 'pinky'... but most often, the change valve is operated by the left hand.
Mic Holder for Sousas and Tubas
Here's a homemade microphone hold that works on all sousas and tubas with bells ranging from 13" up through 30". It's made from pieces of small telescopic tubing to the three 'legs'. They are soldered to a 7/8" ID piece of tubing in the center by using using tuba brace flanges. At the outside, the 'legs' pass through pieces of rubber that are split to go over the tuba bell flare. I like to use a cordless lapel mic setup and just push the mic (with it's foam 'breeze guard') to the tube in the center. The pre-amp and transmitter can then just be held in place with rubber bands or tape anywhere on the horn. The mic holder is shown in place on a King fiberglass sousa.
Harv's 'Groundhog Caller'
Harvey Hartman (Harv's Happy Horns) sent me the following pictures of his 'Groundhog Caller'. As you know, groundhogs are a big deal in Pennsylvania!
Here's a REAL French horn:
Brass repair is brass repair. This little goodie is a French automobile horn. To make it blow, a rubber wheel on the air pump engages the engine flywheel. It plays in D#! I could have used a bell screen like that on my sousa in a Mardi Gras Parade a few years back!
Linton contra-bass clarinet
Yeah.... I know. It's not a tuba. It's STILL interesting! Like one of the TubeNetters says.... "welcome to Heaven, here's your tuba.... welcome to hell, here's your saxophone". Well, the best description can come up with for this creature is 'Polish Saxophone'. Actually, it's a Linton. Not really made by Linton (the oboe and bassoon folks)... but made by ORSI (Italian) for Linton probably sometime in the 70's.... during period when instrument makers were all searching for the 'bigger and better' instruments to sell to school band directors. This one was a dreadful failure. Partly because no one ever bothered to make reeds for them on a production basis. The reed needs to be 15/16" wide to cover the rails... a full 1/8" wider than the widest commercially available reeds made for bari saxes and bass clarinets. According to Mr. Linton, there were only about 40 of these things made. I know of two of them. The rest have probably gone to the scrap yard or maybe on the wall at the neighborhood 'Fridays' restaurant!
Below are a couple of pictures of the mouthpiece. It's compared with a bari sax mouthpiece and a bari sax reed. Note that the tenon that fits into the horn is over 2" diameter. There have been some unsuccessful experiments to adapt a regular bass clarinet or contra bass clarinet mouthpieces to this horn. I've been experimenting with making a plastic reed for the horn. Anyone care to give me a hand? Remember... I'm a tubaguy. Woodwinds aren't really my thing!
Meinl 33
Reynolds Tuba (TB-09??)
Mirafones
At first glance, I thought both of these horns were Mirafone 186's. The one on the left is serial number 25XX and the one on the right is serial number 93XX. The one on the right has a bore of .780", a 16 1/2" diameter bell and is indeed an old-style 186. The horn on the right has a .740" bore and a 14 3/4" diameter bell. Both horns share the same wrap configuration. I've owned 182, 183, 184, and 186 Mirafones but have never seen a 185. Is the horn on the right a Mirafone 185? It's more-or-less been confirmed that the tuba on the right in the pictures below is a Mirafone 185 BBb.
How NOT to wear a sousa!
The guy on the left is wearing his sousa fairly correctly... with the bell assembled perpendicular to the main body wrap. That goofy guy on the right has assembled his sousa with the bell just about parallel with the main body wrap.... very uncomfortable to wear and it's almost impossible to see around the bell. I had a sousa come into the shop today (7-23-07) and the band director complained that the bell covered the student's face and he wants the bell crook unsoldered and revolved a bit to tip the bell up so the student can see. I explained that they were putting the bell on wrong but he insists that it has to be that way to 'look centered' when marching with other sousaphones. The 3rd picture was taken AFTER I unsoldered the body elbow and rotated it about 35 degrees to pitch the bell up so the player can see. The customer is always right! 'Scuze the blue exam gloves. I always wear them in the shop to keep my hands young and supple! Note the similarity between the most recent picture and My TubeNet avatar.
Here's another 'interesting' tuba:
This one is a Cerveny... serial number 26666... imported and sold by Georgi Vitak at 4663 Gross Avenue in Chicago sometime between 1907 and 1923. The address of the Vitak music store noted on the badge is significant because Vitak was at that address only during those years. Gross Avenue is now McDowell Avenue. The badge on the horn mentions Expos from 1889 to 1893, but the horn couldn't be that old because of the address. The bore is 21mm (.827")... the bell is 19 1/2" and the overall length is about 41" It's pitched in BBb. The girth of the bell throat where it enters the bow ferrule is 19" (or 6" diameter)... quite a bit larger that the rotary tubas of today. Of particular interest to me is the LOOOONG leadpipe, the configuration of the main tuning slide, and the 'openness' of the wraps. The horn plays 'OK' but is in need of a complete rotor overhaul. Don't call me wanting to buy this horn. It went back to the owner.
'Kicker' on Besson Prestige
Above is a picture of a 'kicker' installed on a Besson Prestige. Kevin Powers makes the parts. It takes a bit of doing to fit up the paddle and mount the bracket but the installed unit is quite functional. The real trick is to get that darned main tuning slide aligned PERFECTLY and honing the slide tubes for a nice sliding fit. This is not something you should attempt to do in your home workshop. As you can see, on this particular horn, there was barely enough room to retain the 'grime gutter'. The 'kicker' allows about a 1" extension of the tuning slide.
Willson DEG BBb 'Commuter' tuba
This is a cute little horn that was originally marketed as a student horn under the moniker of 'commuter'. It came with two detachable bells... one brass bell that was to be left at school for concerts... and a plastic bell that could be taken home. Then, all the student had to carry to and from school was a small case containing the tuba body. The horn is about 32" tall, has a 15" bell, and a bore of about .640". This horn is bright silver plated. The bell pictured is actually salvaged from an old Holton Eb tuba but is very close to the size of the original bell. The horn was also originally a convertible horn with two leadpipes... one for concert configuration and one for marching. Two pictures are below.
King Stuff...
Just added the picture below... I'm not one to leave ANYTHING alone! The below picture is of a King (1241/2341.. whatever!) that I 'warmed over' on February 20. It WAS an old style horn. I moved the #1 tuning slide to the top and added an Amado waterkey. Then, I extended the bottom 3rd valve tuning slide (thanks to a King sousa) and got rid of the double-wrap at the top of the #3 circuit. It's starting to look a bit like the modern version of the 2341... except for the detachable bell. I also put on a 'manly' sized thumbring! Oh yea... the leadpipe is new, too! Mike Self... this is the one I got from you!
Two King tubas are pictured above. The top one is a model 1240 from around 1932. It has a fixed bell. I was tinkering with the idea of assembling the leadpipe and tuning slide with the slide pointing 'up' so I can make tuning adjustments 'on the fly'. I decided to just put the horn together the way the factory made it because I was concerned that condensation would not drain properly with the slide pointing up. Another thought was to install a straight leadpipe and adding a little tubing AFTER the valveset. Know what??? ... After putting the horn back together and giving it a toot, I found that tuning adjustments aren't really necessary! This is an incredible horn for a three-valve tuba!
The bottom picture is a detachable bell King. The valve section is very similar to the model 124o but the leadpipe configuration is different. The modern version of this horn is the 2341. What is the model number of THIS horn?
OK... this has been discussed and I'm ready to offer the following picture and my personal opinion:
The above picture shows four Kings that I currently own. From left to right...
Model 1235 Eb (4th valve was added recently) sn 178502 (1935)
Model 1240 BBb - sn 152446 (1935)
Model 2340 BBb - sn 415755 (1966)
Model 2341 - sn 274107 (1945)
Below are two images that are currently being used to advertise the King 2341. It's fairly obvious that even King is confused about how their horns look! The image on the left more favors the 'old style' 2341's as shown above. The image on the right appears to be more 'real' in terms of what the 2341 actually looks like today...
What does all this discussion about the kings come to? Well... It's MY OPINION that there were NO model 1235 (Eb) tubas made that had a detachable bell. All of them had fixed bells. All of the 1235 (Eb) tubas that I've seen had the tuning slides in the leadpipe. There is a real mix of 1240 and 2340 tubas out there.
The 2340 tubas incorporated a series of manufacturing changes but still retained the same model number. None of them had tuning slides in the leadpipes but none of them had fixed recording bells. Some of the later ones were sold with the fixed upright bell only. A major change took place in June of 1980 and did away with the detachable bell completely. The leadpipe was also changed to incorporate a bell with a 'quicker' taper. The leapipes of the 2340/41 tubas made before June 1980 and after June 1980 will not interchange.
Confused??? Yeah... it's confusing. It's further confused by the fact that United Musical Instruments (UMI) already owned Conn and then bought King... closing the Conn plants and moving all of the tuba production to the Eastlake, Ohio plant... creating some 'composite' horns like the Conn 15J and the King 1140.... which were actually the same horn after 1985!
Whatzit?
Below are three pictures of a hybrid that came through the shop recently. It's obviously a Conn body 'cause it says so on the bell! The valveset, however, presents a bit of a puzzle. The bore is .737 and the piston diameter is 1.061". According to my database of piston diameters, the only makes that used a 1.061" diameter are Buescher, Bundy, and Mercedes. Selmer purchased Buescher in 1963. The serial number on the valveset is 4828XX. IF this is a Buescher valveset, the SN puts the date of manufacture between 1965 and 1070. The valve section is brass and obviously not part of the original horn since the body is silver-plated. The 4th valve is actually a #1 piston and casing from a donor valveset. Information about the body is not a mystery since the name 'Conn' is engraved on the bell. However, I WOULD like to have more information about the valveset. Is it Buescher, Bundy, Mercedes, Selmer... or WHAT!?? Update: The TubeNet 'freak jury' has determined that the valveset is a hand-built combination of parts from Bundy/Buescher/Selmer valvsets.
Whatzit?
Email me if you have any ideas. BBb. The bell is 21" and the bore is .860". The horn on the right in the following pictures is my Mirafone 186... for a good size comparison. I originally thought the horn might be an old Alexander, but the consensus from the TubeNet 'freak jury' is that it is most likely a Bohland & Fuchs. If you have any different ideas or additional information please drop me an email. I haven't found any serial numbers, names, or other ID of any kind.
Above left is an image of the valve section. The image on the right is one of the attachment points showing the shape of the badge backplate.
The bell rim is 'interesting'. It looks original. Instead of a wire and kranz (garland) that are seen on many German tubas, there is a half-round silver reinforcement soldered or brazed to the rim of the bell.
The rotor section is above.
The above style brace appears in a couple of places between the cluster and the main branches. The brace below is incorporated into the tuning slides.
This image shows the details of the stop arms and stop pins.
Above is the receiver for a LARGE European shank MP... with an adapter that I got with the horn.
Email me if you know what this tuba is. UPDATE: This tuba was most likely made by Bohland & Fuchs. It's now living in Kansas!
The New Kia 'Rondo'
Yea, yea.... I know! I'm the one who always said "get a Chevy". What can I say?! I bought this new car on December 5th and I think it's just great! Us tuba guys are always worried about transporting our horns. This Kia 'Rondo' is a brand new line for 2007. It's the largest of a series of five-door automobiles before getting into the mini-vans. It has a five passenger seating with an optional rear seating to add another two small people. I bought the five passenger version.
The image on the left above shows the Kia configured for five passengers and there's still plenty of room behind the rear seat for my Miraphone 186 in a gig bag, my music stand, and the grocery cart that I haul the horn in. The image on the right shows the rear seat folded down so there's plenty of room for percussion equipment owned by the friend I'm picking up before a gig today.
My first impression of this auto after only two days of ownership is that it is an outstanding vehicle. I've been looking for a car that has the utility of the old station wagons of the 60's and 70's and I think this one will fill the bill.
Conn bass 'bone
Serial number 41 361235. 10" rose brass bell... .600" bore valve section. What's the model number? Got it! It's a 112H. It just has a lot of miles on it for it's age!
Above is a YBB321 that almost survived a pep band! It appears as though some kid (or stupid adult alumni) thought the combination of mouthpiece and horn made a great drum! Below is a picture of the repairs to the knuckles. Some of the knuckles were straightened and some were replaced with parts available from Yamaha. This is an old style 321 (serial number under 100,000). The new knuckles are actually parts for the new style production but can be used by cutting off the old knuckle, swaging the new knuckled, and soldering it over the old stub. The repair is not quite finished, but you get the idea. Sometimes the things that look the worst on a horn can be among the easiest things to fix. Odly, the valves were not damaged with all the beating and banging.
So... you think you should trust FEDEX with your brand-new tuba? The seven bells tuba bells pictured above made it half-way around the World to Florida just to be demolished by FEDEX on the short trip to Indiana!
Poor little storage shed two days after putting 509 screws in it! Due to a little puff of wind directly out of the north. I just flipped it end-over-end to where it came from and put in some new anchors. Not much damage except for a few small dents... and I KNOW what to do with dents!
Pictured above is a Mirafone BBb 186 (left) and a Meinl 25. Note that the valve sections are very similar but the Meinl 25 has a much larger bottom bow and bell.
Page last edited on May 11, 2008