Tuba Tuesday: Selmer, Mersel-American, BB flat helicon, 3 piston, ca.1920

[bisontuba]

This Tuba Tuesday the Museum features a Selmer, Mersel-American, BB flat helicon, 3 piston, ca.1920.

The bell is 20.0″ & the bore is .715″.

“MERSEL – AMERICAN / SELMER / NEW YORK” on bell.
Floral garland engraved around identification marks.



https://simonettitubacollection.com/ins ... ousaphone/

[humBell]

What's Mersel mean?

[bisontuba]

What's Mersel mean?

Trade name used by Selmer but not made by them...
..Mersel American made by Pan American..

[arpthark]

What's Mersel mean?

If you take a bunch of Mersels and average them together, that's the Mersel mean.

[The Big Ben]

What's Mersel mean?

Trade name used by Selmer but not made by them...
..Mersel American made by Pan American..

I thought "Pan-American" meant 'budget Conn'.

[bisontuba]

They would do work for company's...

[humBell]

So... running with the assumption that it is made by Pan Am folk, what does the serial number suggest its age is?

I should also take some time to try to figure out who else Pan-Am made stuff for?

Not quite in a position to contribute usefully to discussion, but if Mersel-Am is actually Pan-Am... could Mersel be Pan?

[bisontuba]

Other Pan Am trade names included:

Brilliante

Campus

Cavalier

Challenger

Champion

Classroom

Frat

Prom

Rainbow

Scholastic

Special

Stadium

Standard

Whittle

[arpthark]

"Frat tuba" has a certain ring to it...

[tofu]

[

[bloke]

There are lots of instances of competitors - in the USA and Japan - making instruments (or parts of instruments) for each other.

Conn had Olds build their tubas and Yamaha build their trumpets (etc, etc.) when they were moving from Indiana to Texas (later to Mexico).

Yamaha built tubas, euphoniums, saxophones, trumpets, and trombones from G. Leblanc.

I continue to believe that a former Wisconsin-sold tuba was built - all-or-part - in Ohio, but I've given up suggesting that which seems obvious to me.

Today, quite a few instruments with legacy USA branding is made in China.

A Japanese manufacturer - for quite a while, now - has moved some of its production to China and Malaysia.

...etc, etc...

@bisontuba ...I'm not even certain that's a complete list (though impressive). I've seen small-bore 14K-style sousaphones (probably .687" bore) engraved "Continental Colonial".

Dynasty instruments were made in Taiwan and - later - in Brazil.

[bisontuba]

Joe-
Would not surprise me if there were more…
Mark

[humBell]

I did glance at the serial numbers, and the conclusion that it is from 1920 seemed consistent with treating it as a Conn.

That serial number on a Pan Am instrument is much later ('40s?)

And the one point i am pondering is with all the names Pan American instruments can appear under, are any of them known for instruments in their own right?

Anyway still am pondering things. I wonder if Mersel is just Selmer rearranged?

And what i'd originally assumed was mersel meant Model because of a strong resemblance between a Selmer mersel american Eb and a Carl Fischer american model Eb.

[humBell]

Recently spotted another Conn tuba that shared something of the odd characteristics the Selmer Eb has (though it is pictured as a baritone in horn-u-copia, and an equivalent Carl Fischer Eb "American Model" tuba is also pictured, and is listed as having a 35489 serial number. That would put it in 1800s if pure Conn, but 1923 if Pan Am.

And my points of contact are a Selmer Eb with 16xx serial number, and a Carl Fischer Eb (and a longer branch but short MTS) with a 40xx serial number which would make them 1917 and 1918 respectably.