I may have already posted about this beat-up p.o.s.

[bloke]

This came in the mail from eBay...$350 + $47 budget postage...

I tooted a handful of notes on it when I unpacked it.

Yesterday evening, I performed an hour-and-a-half-long brass quintet concert/recital in front of a bunch of orchestra patrons and their friends.
I decided to take this (with no back-up) and test by fire (no servicing, no dent removal, no nothing.

I oiled the valves (for the first time) AFTER the little rehearsal.

It's the *first time I've ever used a B-flat tuba to play brass quintet music.
The only other B-flat tubas that I own are my sparkle sousaphone and a rare Miraphone model (1)90 kaiser B-flat...
...I never read sheet music when messing with either of those, but (well...) didn't we all read sheet music and play B-flat tubas for at least six years in grade school...and then in kolij marchin' band...??? (It's like riding a bike...You don't forget.)

I like this big-little/little-big thing a lot.

I believe it's probably a mid-1960's (1967 - the Beatles' I-Am-The-Walrus year) Holton "Collegiate model 560, which retailed for $510 ($4000, adjusted for inflation).



________________________________________________
*EXCEPT when I've pulled school sousaphones off band room walls to use on one piece - in front of high school bands, on Ole Miss recruiting tours...maybe to play our often-chosen-to-be opening tune: the P. Grainger band piece, "Shepherd's Hey" - to demonstrate that "It's i]not[/i] the fancy tuba that guy has".

[Three Valves]

I like it!!

[WC8KCY]

I like it, too! Is this going to come up for sale?

The bell and big parts of the bugle sure look suspiciously close to my Holton eefer:

[MN_TimTuba]

Joe,
That looks like a nice, compact tuba. Reminds me of a top-valve version of the 2341.
What are your plans for this one?
Tim

[MN_TimTuba]

Oops, on the double-post.

[bloke]

As long as I can, I’m going to attempt to resist the temptations to blow out the bore size or cut to C..though it’s quite sharp-natured (big pull) as a B-flat.

An Olds O-99-4 valveset might be nice, as well as locating a good-fitting bottom bow cap - to replace the one that was taken off during some schlocky overhaul.

Body-wise - though quite compact - this thing is not small.

I’ve played the E-flat version before, but never the B-flat.
Again…Tuning is really really easy with this B-flat version.

[matt g]

A King/Reynolds/Olds/Bach valve set around 0.689” should work really well here.

It’ll be interesting to see wether you cut it to C or not.

[bloke]

This tuba (not yet measured) looks like c. .656”...
...thus considering an Olds O-99-4 or Bach Mercedes (.656”, rather than .689”) valveset.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”...
...Only fix it UP, and enhance it.

A King/Reynolds/Olds/Bach valve set around 0.689” should work really well here.

It’ll be interesting to see wether you cut it to C or not.

[Yorkboy]

Looks like you got a winner, there

[Yorkboy]

I like it, too! Is this going to come up for sale?

The bell and big parts of the bugle sure look suspiciously close to my Holton eefer:

Underrated horns, IMHO

[Yorkboy]

I like it, too! Is this going to come up for sale?

The bell and big parts of the bugle sure look suspiciously close to my Holton eefer:

Underrated horns, IMHO

[Yorkboy]

I must be having issues with the new forum - when I go to edit, I wind up double posting with no ability to delete one of them.......?

[tubanh84]

This looks surprisingly like an ugly old BBb horn my high school got a few years after I graduated. I remember being in the band room for a summer concert/4th of July community band rehearsal and being floored by how good it sounded. If it wouldn't have been depriving future kids of what would certainly be a wonderful experience playing it, I would have offered to buy it on the spot.

[bloke]

It’s too bad when “overhaul shops” remove bottom bow caps and toss them in the trash.

Even if not removed, it’s not terribly difficult to make a bottom bow look (no...not perfect, but very) good without removing the cap. I just did it with two smashed- up YBB-321 tubas...

...oh yeah, and (related to another thread, which is quite active) Both of those YBB-321 tubas are SILVER, so - even though some of their inner bows were smashed flat, and one or two valves were not working, they automatically sounded better than brand-new lacquered ones.

[hrender]

Same model?



Similar to the old mammoth bass:

[WC8KCY]

Same model?

That's what I'm thinkin'. In the mid-'90s the Escanaba, MI Salvation Army had of one of these BB-flats in satin silver and I did a few gigs around the ol' Red Kettle with them on it.

I think it was an Elkhorn-built example. It was a nice-sounding, easy playing tuba with really even response, but seemed to be built to play at A=435. As the ensemble drifted sharp, it was problematic to keep 'er up to pitch.

[Yorkboy]

The horn in question looks like a medium to me.

[York-aholic]

The horn in question looks like a medium to me.

Agreed. I think that pic is from a craigslist ad (if memory isn't totally faulty). When I looked at the ad, I came away with the impression of it being the same size as a York 33 (20" bell) similar in size to Holton Medium...

[barry grrr-ero]

It just looks like a 'player'. Personally, I love old Holtons.

[hrender]

The horn in question looks like a medium to me.

I think it is based on conversations regarding bore. An older post by bloke mentioned 5/4, so I thought it might be the larger model. Both have similar layouts.