FS: Reynolds BBb Contempora - SOLD

[SteveP]

I bought his instrument, fully refurbished by Borodi Music, about 10 years ago. It is a truly beautiful instrument and looks like it came right from the factory. I then added a custom Altieri bag. The tuba has remained almost unplayed since then. I don't believe that it's ever been taken out of the house. Had great ideas of playing it in local groups but that never happened. It's just too darn big and I'm just too darn old to want to lug it around. It has four valves and that first valve slide thingamajiggee for tuning. Never quite figured that thing out. Anyway, I'm asking $2,750 (obo) and would obviously prefer not to ship. Local pickup here in Lake Havasu City, Arizona would be great. Or, I'd be willing to drive up to a couple of hundred miles in any direction for a serious buyer. I will ship at buyer's expense if necessary.

If interested please contact me via pm or respond here. Arpthark (Blake) was kind enough to post some pics for me. See them Below. Thank you Blake!!

Steve

[SteveP]

Ok, it's been a week and no response so I guess this thing isn't as desirable as I thought or the price is too high or lack of pics or something else I haven't thought of. Like the post says, the asking price for tuba and Altieri bag is $4000 OBO. I can't see it not being worth that but I have nothing to base that on. If you have any interest at all shoot me a pm or email. I'd be open to negotiation as it needs to be with someone who will play it. My kid won't have a clue what to do with it if it's in my estate (though I don't plan on going soon.)

Thx,
Steve

[arpthark]

Pics always help generate interest. If you send me some via an email, I'm happy to post them for ya. beanhillbrass at gmail dot com. Use a hosting service like imgur.com and it's pretty easy.

Without looking it up, some people might not know what a Reynolds TB-14 is (I definitely did not) so listing the key/number of valves may also help.

edit: I now see the number of valves listed in the body of your post, but had to search a bit.

Good luck with your sale!

[DonO.]

These are also sometimes called “Contempora” models. They all, to my knowledge, came with detachable bells. Is yours recording bell or upright? These horns do have their fans. They are big, as you noted. Unfortunately, your pricing seems to be a bit high. There is a record of one selling a couple of years ago in close to mint original condition for $2500. The overhaul and the case don’t really add anything to resale value. It will be interesting to see if others agree with me.

[SteveP]

Blake, thank you for your offer of posting a couple of pics. I'll take 2 or 3 next week when I dig the tuba out of storage in the back shed (climate controlled by the way.) I really appreciate your offer to post them!

DonO, yes it's a BBb Contempora with the upright bell. Bummer to hear that you don't think the restoration and case add value as that Altieri bag wasn't inexpensive. I do agree that a price adjustment may be in order. Thank you for your response and comments.

Steve

[arpthark]

Reynolds with the upright bell—that's a tall tuba!

[WakinAZ]

I own several of these in various configurations. They're excellent horns. I've received more compliments on my sound playing these than any other horn I've owned.

I don't agree with the opinion that the custom-made gig bag and the refurb job don't significantly add to the attractiveness of your sale.

Also if the pictures you take don't show it, please share the first few digits of the serial number and how many digits long the serial number is (123####). This will help determine how old the horn is and where it was made.

Good luck with the sale.

- A Reynolds fan in Tucson

[matt g]

I agree with @WakinAZ regarding the bag and overhaul. It’s worth mentioning and should help with the value.

Regarding photos: the more the better. On an instrument of this vintage, it’s good to also get photos of the valves to show what shape they are in. That impacts playability significantly. Photos of the bag are nice to have as well.

All I will say about photos and pricing is that I bought a tuba well under market value. From what I remember, the seller wrote up a good description of the instrument but posted no (or only a couple of) photos.

I’ve sold tuba and other stuff on the internet when it required me taking pics with a 35mm SLR and scanning the photos, later using a digital camera and uploading those to a PC, and now using a a (omnipresent) cellphone to complete the entire chain of custody from photo acquisition to post. Point being, it’s relatively easy to get a lot of pics now to market a horn, especially one like this that’s not nearly as common as a King or Conn tuba.

People make lots of buying decisions with their eyeballs.

[DonO.]

To clarify my earlier statements regarding the value of the restoration…

Think of it this way. If the fair market value of a near mint example of this tuba (confirmed by an actual recent sale) is $2500, and your example required restoration work to put it in similar condition, does that mean the restored example has added value over and above the example that didn’t need restoration in the first place? Condition is condition, regardless of how it got that way. My humble opinion, as noted before others may disagree.

As for the case, having re-considered my earlier statement, the Altieri gigbag might indeed add maybe 100-200 dollars of value to your package. Depends on who wants it. Gig bags are not everyone’s cup of tea. For myself, I strongly prefer hard cases and would be unwilling to pay extra for a gig bag I wouldn’t use. Other potential buyers may it differently if they are gigbag users.

With regard to pictures, they are nice in an ad, but not easy to post here. That’s why so many put a link to a picture hosting service instead. But your description is good, and many if not most of us recognize exactly what you have. Those Reynolds models have the same .687 bore as the King 1240/1241/2341 but with a bigger bugle section and bell. They definitely have their fans. You should not have any trouble finding a buyer at the right price. Good luck!

[bloke]

Please, do me a currently-useful-to-me favor, and please report the collar fitment dimension

(outside of the inside / inside of the outside)

I apologize for not being a potential buyer.

[DonO.]

I apologize for not being a potential buyer.

As do I. But all of us here like to see a nice tuba go to a good home. So, just trying to be helpful.

More unsolicited advice: I call it the Golden Rule of Instrument Selling. The value of an instrument is exactly what somebody else is willing to pay for it.

Example: No interest at 4000? Lower to 3800 and wait. Still no interest? Try 3600. And so on. When you reach true value price it will sell. Or, go the opposite way. List on FleaBay with no reserve and let the bidding begin.

Addendum to the Golden Rule: the value of an instrument is NOT what you believe it SHOULD be. We see plenty of nice tubas stay on the market for a long time because of sellers unwilling to lower asking prices that were too high to begin with.

[SteveP]

Joe, I'll take those measurements when I get the tuba out of hiding for pics. Rounding to the nearest quarter inch or so is close enough, right? And no apologies necessary I'm happy to do it.

DonO, you are absolutely correct about pricing, market value etc. The buyer sets the value, not the seller. That goes for almost everything, not just tubas. In my case I didn't have a clue where to start except knowing what I paid for it, which may or may not have been too high at the time.

Steve

[bloke]

Thank-you. Curious as to whether it's roughly six and a half inches.

[arpthark]

Here are pics of Steve's horn for sale and a couple angles of the pistons:

[DonO.]

She’s a beauty! Whoever did the restoration did a good job. I love the smokestack bell! It sort of looks like it was designed primarily to be used with the recording bell, with the upright bell added as an afterthought. I wonder what the original hard case on these was like. Did they come with a 2 piece case, one for the body and one for the bell, ala the big Conns? Seems like it would really need to be so.

[SteveP]

The restoration was done by Borodi Music, somewhere back east as I remember. I bought it from them off eBay. The total height is just a smidge short of 46 inches if my tape measure isn't lying to me.

Some have inquired about serial number and age. The serial no is 2186xx, putting its manufacture, at the Abilene plant, sometime around 1966.

If anyone wants more pics let me know and I'll take and email them to you.

Btw Bloke, I'm waiting for my neighbor to find his caliper so I can get some accurate measurements. Mine only goes out to six inches and sometimes six inches just isn't enough.

Steve

[SteveP]

For Bloke and anyone else having a burning desire to know the diameter of this tuba's bell tenon (is this the correct word?) it is:
OD at bell = 6.54 inches
ID at tuba = 6.57 inches

I do need to add the disclaimer that I'm a CPA not a tech or machinist and have only used a caliper two or three times in my life. So, while I believe they're close take these measurements for what they're worth given my mechanical skill level.

Steve

[SteveP]

Due to the lack of interest in this beautiful tuba I'm reducing the price to $3,695 obo. Someone needs to buy this tuba before I'm compelled to donate it to a high school. We all know what it would look like within a couple of days at a school and that's a sad, sad thing.

[SteveP]

Price reduced to $3,295!!

She's a beauty, just take a look at the pics!

[Mary Ann]

Try Phoenix Craigslist.