Tuba Factory ID

[Bulldog94]

Hello,
Newbie here. I purchased my first tuba recently and am looking for expert information regarding my instrument. I believe it may me a Cerveny however can not find any source to confirm my assumption. The tuba is engraved Musica Steyr Austria with a Serial Number 02947 on the brace under the keys. The tuba is a four valve rotary and is 39” tall. I would welcome any information the Members of the Forum may be able to provide me related to the Manufacturer, Country of origin, date of manufacture for my instrument.
Thanking you in advance!

[Bulldog94]

so far it sounds like a cerveny, but cerveny serial numbers are random.

If you post a few good photos, especally of the valve linkage and bell engraving, we can probably help you out

If you post a photo of the whole horn, we can tell you the model number

[Bulldog94]

Hopefully the photo attached.
download/file.php?mode=view&id=1893

[Bulldog94]

About all I can tell from the photo is it's a Post 1990 BBb

I Might be able to narrow it down more with a close up of the valve linkage

[Bulldog94]

download/file.php?mode=view&id=1895http ... ew&id=1894

[Bulldog94]

The photo isn't very clear, but it looks like there is not a retaining nut/ring around the screw that adjusts the ball and socket. To me, that tells me it's an instrument that was built between 1990 and 2000

[Bulldog94]

You are correct regarding the retaining nut ring. Could you tell me more of which Manufacturer and Country of origin? Is it a Cerveny and if so, which Model? It is purely a guess on my part it might correspond to the Cerveny 686.

[bloke]

I’m butting in, but if you decide to carry that instrument in a bag - and might toy with the idea of selling the case - I might like to talk to you, if you are anywhere within driving range of western Tennessee.

[Bulldog94]

I am way too old to use a bag and plan to keep the case. The wheels are a big plus for me. When I saw the case in the deal it was a no brainer for me.
Thank you

[Bulldog94]

Hopefully this photo is clearer of the valve linkage.
download/file.php?mode=view&id=1896&sid ... 5334980baf

[LeMark]

pretty sure I do not see the knurled retaining ring. I stand by my estimate

1990-2000, Czech tuba, and 100% cerveny

[Bulldog94]

Thank you so much! I appreciate your expertise. Best wishes!

[Bulldog94]

One more photo of the other end of the valves and linkage.
download/file.php?mode=view&id=1898

[LeMark]

At that resolution, it would have to be a close up of just a single linkage bar to see clearly

[Bulldog94]

Hopefully this is better. Don’t want to work you too hard on my horn. I do appreciate you looking at it for me.
download/file.php?mode=view&id=1899

[LeMark]

that's a bit better. I still think it's one of the early "post iron curtain" horns, when America started to mass import them, and not only under the Cerveny name, but as stencils for other companies.
Little background... in the late 80's Cerveny tubas were a high quality tuba priced at half of the miraphone and other German companies, and this is in the day that Chinese tubas were not a serious option for even someone on a budget. When the Iron Curtain fell, pressure was put on cerveny from American retailers to triple their production to fill a budget market, and quality was all over the place. Some are good, and some aren't. Hopefully yours is one of the good ones. After a while sales suffered as quality lagged, and people moved on to St Petersburg horns as the budget option, and then finally Chinese tubas. As a tuba company, Cerveny barely exists today.

You can tell the post iron curtain horns pretty easy because they changed the valve spatulas to the teardrop shape like you see on Miraphones, and they also changed the bell engraving to a script instead of a crest.

[Bulldog94]

You definitely know your tubas. Thank you again. So far I am very happy and know it will serve me well. Many thanks!