Sub Contra base tuba

[Rick Denney]

I wounder how much a sub contra base tuba costs and where you would find some one who makes them.

Since no one makes them, the cost can only be guessed at. Lessee, Thein gets about $25,000 for one of their handmade instruments, and one twice the size would be at least four times as hard to make, so I'd guess the price would start at $100,000. The few that have been made (perhaps there are 3) were made as novelties and advertising stunts.

As to finding someone to make one, you'd have to find a company that still makes things by hand that could be bribed into doing it. I'll bet that the intersection of those two sets is null.

Rick "not in the market" Denney

[Chuck(G)]

You know, string contrabasses aren't built to violin (or even cello) scale; a full-size upright bass would be about 11 feet tall.

So, I wonder why a not-to-scale double contrabass tuba couldn't be manufactured? Shoiuld be easy enough; after all, we have very portable GG contrabass bugles for the marching set.

Of course, the problem is finding someone who'd actually want to play one...

[Matt G]

I'll build you one for only $5000.

Just supply me with 36' of garden hose.

If you want valves, that will be extra, much, much extra.

The bell might be a bit small. Would you like the bell in plastic (normally a primary color or white) or in polished tin?



Your best bet is to not worry about this and pretty much rely on the fact that the only ones that were built were build 80 years ago and they have no real use. I would even go further to state the most humans have neither the physical oral and vital capacity attributes to play this thing all that well and trying to play something that low in tune would be fairly difficult.

I do agree with Chuck. It would be feasable to put about 36 feet of pipe or so easily into a 6/4 size tuba package. Keep the bore fairly small, and it will probably sound like a sub-contra cimbasso. The biggest problem would stil be the 36 feet of brass pipe and the associated weight. I don't think I'd like to tote around a 50+ pound tuba in either a hard case or gig bag. You would still have to pick it up...

Your best bet is to get a good synth and record yourself and just take it down to those nether regions. The keyboard weighs less and will hold pitch better and longer!

[Z-Tuba Dude]

I'll build you one for only $5000.

The bell might be a bit small. Would you like the bell in plastic (normally a primary color or white) or in polished tin?

Which sounds brighter, plastic, or tin???

[UDELBR]

Thein gets about $25,000 for one of their handmade instruments

The price is currently just under $31,000, and that's without taxes or import fees.

[Steve Inman]

I wounder how much a sub contra base tuba costs and where you would find some one who makes them.

Since no one makes them, the cost can only be guessed at. Lessee, Thein gets about $25,000 for one of their handmade instruments, and one twice the size would be at least four times as hard to make, so I'd guess the price would start at $100,000. The few that have been made (perhaps there are 3) were made as novelties and advertising stunts.

Rick "not in the market" Denney

Well now -- let's wait a minute . . . . Dr. Young has a design that incorporates EEE subcontrabass as "half" of the horn (BBb / EEE double tuba), right? So I agree with the previous other post -- it could be done as a "not-to-scale" horn, if this is within the scope of the customer's requirements.

In that case, you'd end up with something proportioned like a horn in F -- a lot of skinny tubing to add from 50% to 100% to the length of the instrument, with the pre-existing 16 to 18 feet then containing the (pre-existing) flare. I suppose it would sound like a tuba, and it would play in the sub-contrabass range -- and the tubing would resemble the cooling coils on the back of your refrigerator!

I bet this could theoretically be done for half of Rick's price, but you'd never find someone with the time to do just one such project. If they were good enough to do this, then they would probably make more money on a larger number of smaller projects during the year.

Conclusion -- Rick's price is probably right. It would take $100K to interest a qualified craftsman to do this.

[Chuck(G)]

Was Tegucigalpa a contra base?

[Dylan King]

I bet Zig Kanstul would make one for 20-30Gs. He'll make just about anything one can think of for the right reason and price.

[Dean E]

I wounder how much a sub contra base tuba costs and where you would find some one who makes them.

Did the Contras have sub bases? Where are Howard Hughes and Ollie North when you need them? They would have known. Oh, . . . you're talking about tubas.
Seriously though, some pics of subcontrabass tubas are posted at the Smartgroups TubaEuph site. You have to register first.
Click here: BIG Tubas

[MartyNeilan]

I bet Zig Kanstul would make one for 20-30Gs. He'll make just about anything one can think of for the right reason and price.

Hey MSM, have you gotten to try his new contrabass trombone yet??