bloke wrote: ↑Fri Jan 21, 2022 8:29 am...
If someone can degrade a European-made kaiser baritone down to three valves - simply to rob one of the valves off of it to stick on an American euphonium (rather than just buying those same parts from the same manufacturer in Europe for a couple hundred bucks) then you can certainly paint your tuba black.
...
Yeah, like that's a fair comparison.
The more I recall those AF sousaphones, the better I like the silver.
Collectible? They are collectible in playing condition, like just about all tubas.
Cut to a future episode of
Antiques Road Show...
[Subject matter expert, standing next to a podium on which this tuba is being displayed]: Can you tell me how you tell me how you came by this instrument?
[Me]: Yes, I ran across it sitting at a tuba exhibit in Washington, DC many years ago. Another fellow and I discussed it, but agreed that the tuning of this instrument was challenged and it was in poor condition. We both left it alone until the end of the show. When
nobody else had expressed the
slightest interest in it, I approached the seller, an expert from Baltimore, and we made an "end-of-show" deal. The other fellow who was looking at it has never quite forgiven me for that. [laughter.] An expert from New Jersey told me the story of WWII hero and well-known tuba player in the Navy Band, Mr. Leonard Jung, for whom he had found and set up this instrument to use in retired-military bands in the Washington area in his later years when he had become unable to carry a brass tuba. This provenance was confirmed by the seller. Sadly, I never met Mr. Jung, who passed away in 2016...
[SME]: What a great story! Do you remember how much you paid?
[Me]: Yes, $500.
[SME]: Well what you have here is a Martin TB-31, made in the early to mid-1960's. It is pitched in B-flat. This particular model was sold to schools because of its ability to resist the denting that brass tubas usually suffer from at the hands of band students. It was also aimed at young players who might struggle to handle a full-sized brass instrument until they were older. With only three valves, they are limited in the low range and some notes are challenging to play in tune, so they are not considered ideal for adult amateurs or professionals, unless they had a special need like the former owner of this instrument. These were priced at $750--half the price of Martin's full-sized, four-valve instruments. Have you had the instrument appraised?
[Me]: No, but some bloke in Memphis tells me it's quite collectible.
[SME]: Well the market for interesting vintage tubas has gone soft in recent years with the passing of the generation of players who grew up with these instruments. But this really is special. In absolutely original condition, this instrument would be worth $15,000. In the condition you found it, held together by radiator hose clamps and electrical tape, with a wooden stick used to help the performer address those tuning issues, it would be considered a barn find and would still be worth $10,000. Too bad someone restored it to playable condition and repainted it silver. While it looks good, collectors insist that such instruments remain completely original. In its present restored condition, it's worth...
...$500.
[Me]: Thank you! I'd never sell it because it means so much to me...(walks away crushed)
(Bloke, you know I'm just poking you in the ribs, right?)
Rick "
" Denney
