~sold~ 1963 Besson England 3 Valve BBb Recording Tuba

[WakinAZ]

~sold~
1963 Besson England 3 Valve BBb Recording Tuba. Serial Number
374XXX, c. 1963. $595 OBO plus $195 UPS or FedEx ground shipping to CONUS/Lower 48 US states only. Tuba body and bell only- no case, no mouthpiece. The playing stand holding the tuba in the photos is not included.

Tuba with bell attached is approximately 46" tall, and it weighs approximately 26 lbs. The bell measures 24" in diameter, and the horn body is about 36" tall.

Mechanical / Playing Condition:
The valves still have a decent amount of plating on them, showing moderate wear. The compression is good. All the slides move freely. The first valve tuning slide is smooth and accessible enough to use for making tuning adjustments as you play. The main tuning slide can be a little tricky to get back in sometimes, but operates smoothly once in place.

Besson built these like tanks- the brass is very thick. I've owned a few of these mid-century vintage Besson tubas, and they've all played well whether they were pampered or abused. They hold up well to decades of use, misuse and repairs and keep on putting out that great Boosey/Besson sound.

This tuba has recently been cleaned and professionally serviced with new felts/corks installed and valves aligned. Also the old British size shank receiver has been replaced with a new Besson Standard/American shank size receiver.

Cosmetic condition specific to the bell:
-There are moderately deep scratches and repair damage on the bell's lacquer finish.
-There is some minor rippling and small dings and pings on the bell. -This bell is a good candidate for refinishing or stripping down to bare brass.

Overall cosmetic condition for the body and the bell:
-Overall the cosmetic condition of this tuba is Fair.
-The lacquer finish is worn and missing in some places. There are dings, dents, scratches, and signs of previous repairs.
-See photos. I think it photographs a little better than it looks up close in person.
-There is a patch on the lead pipe.
-The hand rest is missing. I just put my thumb under the tubing where the lead pipe enters the valve block and anchored my hand that way. You could also fabricate or DIY a replacement handrest.

The Sound
This is a 59-year-old tuba folks. It's been around the block a few times. But you know what? It sounds great. Easy blowing and fun to play. You can get a huge sound out of this thing - the low F is Fantastic. The scale is as good as the 3-valve American recording tubas I have played.

Thanks for looking.

[bloke]

I’ve been using one of these on outdoor/patriotic gigs.

Of course, it’s difficult for the player themselves to completely hear a recording bell - particularly outdoors, but mine sounds great indoors, and – one time – a really good professional tuba player that I know happened by one of the gigs I was playing, stood there for a while, and then walked up between tunes and started telling me how good it sounded… I don’t think they were being patronizing. These instruments really sound nice, and the scale is good on them. An added benefit is that 13 and 123 are both in tune.

If the player is strong and energetic, these things can put out a ridiculously large amount of sound.

[bort2.0]

Is there an upright bell (Besson or otherwise) that would fit this tuba?

[WakinAZ]

Thanks for the comments bloke.

Bort, a very knowledgeable player and repairman down in the Mid-South has told me the old King upright bells will fit these.