TubaForum.net

I've been waffling about this for a couple weeks and I reserve the right to change my mind, but, I've decided to put my Besson 983 up on the market.

I bought this horn from Tom Holtz this past May and promptly had Baltimore Brass do their voodoo that they do on it including pulling the bottom bow for more comprehensive dent work. Anyone who knows Tom (and I've known him for 28 years now) knows he plays his horns a LOT and this horn was due for a little TLC which Baltimore Brass handled quite nicely.

This is a sweet singing horn! However, after several months I've come to the realization that compensating valves and my monolithic ape-brain are NOT a good match. As such, I would ideally like to trade it for a MW 2141 or PT-22 NON-compensating 4+1 Eb tuba, but I am open to other piston 4+1 Eb and F tubas as well. I am not interested in a rotary horn at this time, nor am I interested in a CC or BBb instrument.

I am including an MTS-style hard case which no longer smells like Tom, the Miraphone gig bag that was purchased brand new for it and has yet to be used (and fits perfectly), and two mouthpieces - a Dillon Sheridan S3 in good shape, and a Dillon Sheridan S2 in meh shape. These pieces were cut with this horn in mind and are the two best I've tried for this horn. No, I am not willing to break up the "set" here and send things off individually at this time.

I will also sell this for $6,000 plus shipping. Horn is located in Reston, VA near DC, and I am willing to drive up to 5 hours for a trade. If you are local to the DC area (within 3 hours) I'll deliver it to you.

Forward facing compensating valves in Eb. Cool!!

What does Tom smell like??

Three Valves wrote: ↑Sun Jan 24, 2021 5:06 pm What does Tom smell like??

Salami and Root Beer

Could be worse...

What's the complication of 4 compensating valves? Fingering patterns? Or does it play differently...?

Beautiful tuba though. BTW, what is Tom using instead now? I remember when I was in college (and he was... I dunno, grad student, besides working with the msom) he played a Yammy 621 in the jazz band. After that, a PT-22...

And BTW#2, any change of getting Tom on this board too?

bort2.0 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 24, 2021 5:57 pm What's the complication of 4 compensating valves? Fingering patterns? Or does it play differently...?

Beautiful tuba though. BTW, what is Tom using instead now? I remember when I was in college (and he was... I dunno, grad student, besides working with the msom) he played a Yammy 621 in the jazz band. After that, a PT-22...

And BTW#2, any change of getting Tom on this board too?

Compensating does require different patterns / relative fingerings for some notes (1+3 is often better than 4 for Bb, for example). Certain combinations (say 1+2) aren't as high relatively speaking as their non-compensating brethren. I need something - for me - with tendencies that are more familiar. I don't play enough to learn new tricks these days. Some people feel compensating instruments are stuffier but I've not found that to be the case, at least not with this model.

Tom bought that YFB-621 from me. He details the 983 on his website:

After joining the Buck Creek Jazz Band in 2004, I found myself needing to fly frequently to the West Coast with a tuba. I took the Yamaha once, but it was just too small for a dixie band. I needed more heft, but less than 50 pounds of it, according to most airline baggage policies. Thus I added the Besson 983 Eb tuba, and a new hard case, which totaled 48.5 pounds. Best part was that all my New Orleans chops were already on E-flat fingerings. I found myself using the Besson more and more for quintet work, and then more and more in the Marine Band section alongside the bigger tubas. I wound up moving from the Hirsbrunner to a B&S PT-22, a five-valve E-flat tuba just a hair larger than my Besson 983. I began using my Besson for recording sessions with great success, and have rarely needed to use the big Hirsbrunner. I no longer have the Yamaha F, although I am still a big fan, and highly recommend them to anyone. My CC comes out once in a while, but I do pretty much all my gigs on E-flat horns now, and I doubt I’ll ever go back.

After retirement from the USMB, he bought the PT-22 the band owned and the 983 became more of "the singer" horn in comparison. The PT-22 is 90% of his sit-down work now with the HB-2P the other 10% and the helicon for anything standing.

As for here... he's not real big on the Interwebs these days, but I'll tell him.

Thanks for all the details!

I think Tom had an HB-50 at the time too? Or maybe that was his Govt horn... Oh, I don't know. Long time ago, and I didn't know him well! But seeing him and Scott Cameron play together in SWE was pretty sweet! (And further validated my decision of "F this, these dudes are incredible... I'm gonna pick a different career.")

Bump for your tuba. It's a beauty!

bort2.0 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 24, 2021 6:38 pm Thanks for all the details!

I think Tom had an HB-50 at the time too? Or maybe that was his Govt horn... Oh, I don't know. Long time ago, and I didn't know him well! But seeing him and Scott Cameron play together in SWE was pretty sweet! (And further validated my decision of "F this, these dudes are incredible... I'm gonna pick a different career.")

Bump for your tuba. It's a beauty!

Tom never owned or played anything bigger than a HB-2P. “4/4 is all you need” is what he used to say. The 983 fit Tom’s approach perfectly. Did almost every kind of job on it and sounded like a million bucks no matter the situation. Scott got an HB-50 a couple years into his Field Band career (Scott owned an HB-1P before that).

Weird... Really seemed to remember him with a 6/4 something. I think Scott had a 2165 at some point? Oh hell, I don't know. I just remember a 2165 at BBC on consignment, which I thought belonged to Scott. It was huge, but we'll broken in and actually really easy to play (unlike other 2165's).

Anyway! 983 is a slick tuba, and I hope you find what you're looking for.

Bump to reflect the change in pricing which no longer includes shipping.

on hold