sold: Reynolds three-valve front-action E-flat recording bass

[bloke]

I bought this with a group of instruments years ago. There was another one just like it in the group that was shiny and nice. I sold it off pretty quick or something like $1000 bucks (probably the equivalent of a couple of thousand bucks, today). This one had been re-lacquered, is faded, has a mouthpipe patch that looks to be well done, and the pistons aren't pretty - but fit well in the casings without being a leaky instrument.

If someone would tell me that they'd be willing to pay $450 for this plus shipping costs, I would clean it up, check for dents, get it in ready-to-play condition, and sell it. Otherwise, it's going to sit.

One of you wants a cute little polka band or dixie recording E-flat - and would pay the amount of money stated above, let me know. I'll find the time to get it ready for sale and packed up.

Also, I can take credit cards, but please cover my cost of taking them - which is something like 3%.

I'd be glad for anyone to drive here, play it for a bit, and decide at that point whether or not they would like to purchase it.

[bloke]

OK...
Everyone buys pictures, these days.
I'll try to find time to go ahead and clean it up and post pictures...

[gocsick]

0.687 bore Contempora? First valve kicker?

I could be persuaded to send a small hold deposit and buy after the holidays for that price.

[gocsick]

I should actually add some detail. I currently do a monthly Dixieland/traditional jazz gig on an Eb Sousa. My basement, where I practice, doesn't have a high enough ceiling to stand with a sousaphone. So I have been looking for a solid but inexpensive American "Dixieland" Eb for practicing and maybe for some smaller indoor gigs. This would fit the bill perfectly.

[bloke]

Thanks for the interest.

Someone else actual sent a time-stamped P.M. prior to your post.

If they decide to not take it, you're second in line - if you might still interested at that time.

After I'm back from doing an out-of-town xmas show, I'll (depending on how tired this old man is) get it in ready-to-TubaChristmas shape (maybe Sunday...??), and let him (or you) decide if one of you wants it.

Heck...After tooting on it (for the first time ever), I'd play a casual gig on it...but already have a recording bell E-flat, and am not collecting them, but I WOULD - just as soon - get this one out of the barn/shop.

(I would go ahead and clean it up/straighten it out TODAY, but - well - yesterday yet another school sent me a pile of beat-up crap that they would like to use in their OWN xmas show...and (as always) want that pile back asap...LOL...One of the tubas - a 321 - had a 4th piston that had to come out by BEATING it out using a crapped-out King piston as the "driver"...Astonishingly, ONLY the Yamaha casing is F.U.B.A.R., and the Yamaha piston is perfectly fine...but - if you are familiar with the 321 design - I had to un-solder and remove the main slide dogleg, in order to beat the stuck piston out of the casing.)

[bloke]

I'm going to get this instrument as nice as I'm going to get it today assuming no more interruptions, and post some pictures. My lip is still burned, but I might try to make a demo anyway. I'll take the asking price, and if anyone wants to bump someone else out of the way by offering more, I think it's worth a good bit more than I'm asking.

update:

completed/read to sell/ship, but it's too dark outside (after 10 P.M.) to take pictures.

At first (burned lips) I could barely play it, but it got rid of more of the burned layer of skin, and could then play.

The thing's not a dreamboat, but it's also only $450 (or best higher offer), and not $45,000.

The bell male-to-female collar fit is remarkably good, but it is a CLOSE fit, so (if just a little bit tilted) it tends to slightly hang.
When the tenons are lined up evenly, it spins SUPER-easily.

I'll run a video of the chromatic scale tomorrow. It seems to play the best in tune overall (for me) with the slide pulled out a couple of inches.

For this price, I'm not going to mess with getting the spring-loaded #1 slide gadget working just as it should. That's too much extra work for the asking price. I suspect it will work ok, if the slide is lapped in (slightly nicer fit), the #1 piston is vented, and if a particular sliding brass washer which fits over a steel rod) is made to fit slightly less snugly. As it is, it WILL retract about 3/8th of an inch - when pulled out.

[bloke]

OK...

After I removed dents from the back side of the instrument, some spider cracks appeared. LOL...Now that I've repaired all of them, I've done more work (in $XXX) than the price, but (for reasons which should be obvious) I'm NOT increasing the price. The pictures show the patches.

It is now ready to sell/ship/play.

PISTONS:
#1 appears to be a substitute. Its plating looks the nicest. All three fit very well, and exhibit strong vacuum releases when their connected slides are pulled and pistons are depressed. None of them stick. The springs were too strong (in my judgement) and I put very soft small-bore tuba/euphonium Yamaha springs in this instrument. Take a look at the picture of the pistons.

PATCHES:
All are on the back other than one on the mouthpipe. Take at look at the pictures showing these.

MOUTHPIPE:
I would personally prefer that it wrapped around the instrument farther (and the tuning slide position (for ME) could easily accommodate a longer mouthpipe. This instrument was re-lacquered long ago, but I see no evidence of the mouthpipe receiver brace having been moved. I have a spare Olds/Reynolds mouthpipe (with more bell-wrap) that I'm willing to SELL, but I'm NOT willing to include it (in the $450 ask price) nor install it. I would recommend that the buyer PLAY the instrument before deciding on something like this. Individual players blow higher/lower pitch.

SPECS:
The bore is the same as that of the 4/4 and 5/4 Olds/Reynolds tubas: .687" (11/16")
The recording bell diameter is 22-3/4'
The weight of the instrument is 19 lbs. - the best I can manage to weigh it

#1 SLIDE RETURN GADGET:
It works a little bit, and a previous post outlines how well (not all that well.
For this price - and at this time - I'm simply not willing to monkey with that gadget, but someone could make it work properly by
- venting the #1 piston
- double-checking slide alignment and lapping
- probably slightly loosening the fit between an interior brass washer and the steel action rod

INTONATION:
A customer showed up, so I'll make an "intonation video" later (even though my lip is pretty badly burned from coffee - Saturday).

SHIPPING:
Buyer pays shipping.
I have a pair of somewhat-distressed (the later crappy boxy style) King 2340/2341 hard cases in which I can ship the bell and body - along with bubble wrap.

OTHER INFO:
Please read back through PREVIOUS posts in this thread.

OVERSEAS:
PLEASE, no.

LACQUER FINISH:
(re-lacquered, sometime in the past, likely decades ago)
bell: looks pretty good...bell interior is smooth / outside of bell is just a bit "sugary"
body: lacquer is in poor condition









Thumb ring was missing, so I stuck a King one on.

These two or three double-layer bottom bow dents are too stubborn and too time-consuming to remove for my pricing. The certainly are not the worst.

With various sharp/flat pitches, this position (for ME, and with a medium-shallow mouthpiece) seems to work out the best.


The next two pictures are of a used Olds/Reynolds LONGER mouthpipe, (optional/sold separately/not included/installation not included) IF a buyer MIGHT desire having it.

[bloke]

shipped.

[bloke]

I'm glad this is sold. For years, it was hanging up on a hook where we store our garden hoses in the winter time in our barn, and it's too much of a fun to play tuba to be just sitting there like that.

I didn't make (what I would label as) "profit" on this sale - due to the work I had to do, and the amount of time it took to box it up (keeping it under 130 inches (L+G) so the buyer wouldn't get soaked on the shipping cost), but I'm really glad that it's not taking up space here, and that it is being enjoyed by someone.

[gocsick]

Jealous, I missed it. Think I may have found a sister horn to my Eb sousa though. Same make and similar year. Not as cheap as @bloke was selling though.