Rotary Frankentubas?

[bloke]

If you did that (with a pre-assembled rotary valveset) you would have to tear it all apart, and reassemble it with the rotors “stems-down”.

It would take a good while, but I could probably eventually get you a JP379B valveset...
...but we would first have to wait for the English rulers to decide to stop locking down their subjects.

This may seem dumb, but I believe it would look more convincing (authentic/vintage) with an old S-arm (186, etc.) set of levers running it.

S-links or if someone could find or fabricate a set of the King-style long paddles with the rotors being strung (which is very quiet...).

I’ve always been fond of the old rotary King paddles and set-up. I think .750 would be a little small for the bore, though.....

[the elephant]

I am building a CC tuba out of an old King K-90 using a five rotor Miraphone valve section.

This was my first mock-up, and I decided that the 5th would need to go on the bottom, for a variety of reasons.


This is my idea right now, using a four-rotor section from 186, with a valve and parts from a 190 and 191 to make the 5th valve on the small side of the MTS. I think this has a better chance of making a more structurally viable machine, but I am not sure whether it will be any good as a musical instrument.

[Yorkboy]

If you did that (with a pre-assembled rotary valveset) you would have to tear it all apart, and reassemble it with the rotors “stems-down”.

S-links or if someone could find or fabricate a set of the King-style long paddles with the rotors being strung (which is very quiet...).

I’ve always been fond of the old rotary King paddles and set-up. I think .750 would be a little small for the bore, though.....

Too much work for too little benefit.....

[the elephant]

The horn shown in my abov4 post plays in C, but it is flat. It would need to have a BAT-like short MTS to be removable from the horn with the bottom bow directly beneath it, and some trimming to both ends of the 4th branch would be needed to raise the pitch about 30¢ so the MTS could be out about an inch when the horn pegs the tuner. That would give an inch to push in and three to pull out, which is pretty much how I like it.

(I realized that I had not explained that and did not feel like editing my post.)

[bloke]

From the picture...
It appears as though the mouthpipe could benefit from an inch of it being removed, and the upper bow (as more of it's taper appears - ?? - to be in the arc, and less of the taper of it seems to be in its legs) might stand to lose 1-1/2 inches off each side...(which might also improve the visual and maybe even the balance)...

...Would that be enough chopping do to the trick?
...and/or maybe a Besson or YBB-201/321 bell (from a missing-nearly-everything eBay carcass) instead of the detachable King bell...and (as those King detachable upright bells are so sought-after by 2-pc. 2341 owners...particularly silver ones) sell that bell, and pull some dough back in your pocket...

[UncleBeer]

From hearing that thing on tape, you’d think it played wonderfully. A testament to his skill.

I played that horn in Avery Fisher. It had some serious quirks.

[bloke]

A friend of mine built a Franken6/4C from a 2XJ...
...Things were “interesting”.

[Mikelynch]

Just to clarify some recent discussions above, the pictured Conn is not the Geib/Deck tuba, which is a 5 valve, with a resulting very different configuration to the valve tubing, and is also a detachable bell horn. The pictured horn appears to me to be a BBb (though doesn't appear to be the one that I used to own). Also the valves in the picture appear to be of the other style of rotaries (top loading) that Conn used (but I can't be positive of that).

I have always thought the Conn was pretty remarkable overall--though that opinion has no relation to playing: like Warren, in the NYP environment, etc. (etc., etc., ad infinitum). The most challenging part for me is Geib's usual M3 4th valve, and P4 5th valve (LH) (making the ride quite a mind bending experience).

Warren played the Conn with the original valves before grafting on the Alex valves. If memory serves, on the Canadian Brass Red White and Brass recording/video (with Boston and NY), Warren is playing the Geib with the original valve section (now restored to the horn).

Mike

[matt g]

@Mikelynch, thank you for that information, it’s much appreciated!

The album you reference, the CB Red, White, and Brass is utterly mind blowing in terms of hearing his sound.

https://youtu.be/7mffgx8Xhms

That’s a start, but I think it’s the Shaker Suite where Mr. Deck comes in on a fairly pedestrian note, like B natural in the staff, and his sound is just immense with what seems to be zero effort.

Definitely a fun recording to listen to on good equipment.

Thanks again for firing up the memory bank!