Cerveny ABB 401 ?

[dosterpf]

I have a Cerveny ABB 401 that I purchased in Tesco Department store in Prague back in 1994. I haven't played Tuba since college and my current college (I'm a math/cs professor) is borrowing it for their newly formed concert band. The only problem is that I have no idea how much this Tuba is worth and I can't find any info about it on the web. I figured I should know the approximate cost, just in case something happens to it while it's being borrowed. Can anyone help me out?


Style wise (I apologize for no picture, as I said, it is being borrowed) it looks pretty much identical to the Kaiser CBB 601, but it doesn't have the nickle accents around the bell. It has the straight tuning slide, a 500 mm bell, but I didn't measure the bore size. I always believed it was a large 4/4, but it could be a 5/4 for all I know (I used to do Tuba Christmas all of the time, and I've yet to see a concert tuba that looked any larger). Has anyone come across one of these? Also, does the ABB indicated its an Amati (even though it says Cerveny)? About how much would something like this go for?

Thanks for the help.

-Paul Dostert

[Matt Walters]

You nailed it. If the number starts with a "4" in stead of a "6", then it is their most basic (econo) version of that model. CBB601-4 is a Cerveny, BBb, B***, Pro, 01 series, with 4 valves. Your ABB401 means Amati, BBb, B***, Economy, 01 series, with whatever number of valves you have.
A "7" in the beginning of the numbers means gold brass. "8" is custom.

[dosterpf]

Thanks! For insurance purposes... a value of $3000 sound about right? I got it for about $1600 back in Prague, but I'm guessing it's worth a little more than that (1994 is back when things were still really cheap in the newly formed Czech Republic). Since it's being borrowed, I just want to make sure I know the approximate value in case it goes missing some day.

Thanks again.

Paul