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Guess somebody just kept putting this up in their lap and setting it down again and again over the course of several years.

Seriously though, looks like the non-short action version of the 24J.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/296766747820

The seller never used it. #checkmate

The Brute Squad wrote: ↑Tue Oct 22, 2024 8:24 am The seller never used it. #checkmate

Considering the bell is backwards, probably not!

edit: just found the Craigslist listing: https://tucson.craigslist.org/msg/d/tuc ... 50941.html

@Mary Ann, are you going to investigate?

Looks to be in good shape. Needs a bit.

I think it's a 34J. Also the loop in the third valve tubing most likely means it's pretty old. It would be interesting to see what kind of shape the valves are in. There's a raincatcher that would fit it on the Bay right now. Ed

Ya know you may be right about it being picked up played and sat back down.

Back in the 1960’s when I was a kid just taking up the tuba my mom and I were in one of the great local old time hardware stores. It dated back to the 1890’s and still run by one of the family descendants of the founder. It was filled with ancient stuff and had 3 floors including a subbasement. Everything was made out of wood including the deep nail bins - fantastic smell. Not sure I ever knew the real name of the place as my dad (whose own family had lived a couple blocks away for a 125 years) called it “Every Thursday Harold’s” - the owners name was Harold and no matter what day of the week it was - no matter what dad needed - Harold’s answer was "he’d have it Thursday"!

I was in there one day on a Thursday with my mom to pick up one of dad’s orders and while we waited for Harold to finish with another customer we were talking about the tuba which I had just started on. Harold over heard us and says - I’m a tuba player. And sure enough he takes us to a back room and he’s got an ancient King tuba sitting on it’s bell along with a stand and chair in this very small room. He was probably like 80 at that point and ever since HS he had played the tuba in there after the store closed. Since HS he hadn’t played in any groups - just for himself - literally a closet tuba player. His tuba looked in the same shape as this one. At the time as an 11 year old I just thought that was weird. But over the years in various settings if it comes up that I play tuba I’ve run across a lot of adults that pipe up they do to and just in their home like old Harold. They don’t play in any groups or perhaps in one that only plays every once in a great while. I think you see a lot of these people at Tuba Xmas events - one of the reasons they are so popular. So an adult owned and driven horn rarely taken out of the house and in good shape may not be as rare as it seems.

One of the groups I’m in is always talking to audiences (especially young folks) how music is for life and they could be playing with us some day. Which makes me shake my head a bit as the average tenure in the group is over 25 years and it’s very hard to get into. The colleges every year are turning out loads of accomplished players with no career music job available for all of them. The numbers of good amateur groups is not as plentiful as one may think. Especially in light of available venues to hold concerts. Around here (Chicagoland) the venues are always booked - even HS auditoriums are almost in continuous use from just the plethora of the HS’s various groups and they are expensive for an outside group to use. So I think there are a lot of players with few available groups that play at a level higher than "anybody who shows gets to play" - so they just play for themselves.

It needs more than a bit. It needs a lot.

edfirth wrote: ↑Tue Oct 22, 2024 11:32 am I think it's a 34J. Also the loop in the third valve tubing most likely means it's pretty old. It would be interesting to see what kind of shape the valves are in. There's a raincatcher that would fit it on the Bay right now. Ed

Yep.

arpthark wrote: ↑Tue Oct 22, 2024 8:35 am

The Brute Squad wrote: ↑Tue Oct 22, 2024 8:24 am The seller never used it. #checkmate

Considering the bell is backwards, probably not!

edit: just found the Craigslist listing: https://tucson.craigslist.org/msg/d/tuc ... 50941.html

@Mary Ann, are you going to investigate?

Ha, nope. I couldn't even lift that thing!!