TubaForum.net

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".

I like it!!

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:

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

bloke wrote: ↑Sat Sep 12, 2020 6:49 am

Oops, on the double-post.

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.

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.

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.

matt g wrote: ↑Sat Sep 12, 2020 1:37 pm 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.

Looks like you got a winner, there

WC8KCY wrote: ↑Sat Sep 12, 2020 10:45 am 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

WC8KCY wrote: ↑Sat Sep 12, 2020 10:45 am 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

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.......?

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.

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.

Same model?



Similar to the old mammoth bass:

hrender wrote: ↑Wed Sep 16, 2020 12:41 pm 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.

The horn in question looks like a medium to me.

Yorkboy wrote: ↑Wed Sep 16, 2020 1:36 pm 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...

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

Yorkboy wrote: ↑Wed Sep 16, 2020 1:36 pm 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.