Interesting Old tuba

[ScottM]

That horn looks really neat and am glad that it plays as good as it looks. You have done a really good job on the restoration.
ScottM

[Dan Schultz]

My Sanders is an Alex...

What is it? Any pics? I've seen the Sanders name from Custom on B&S, Meinl Weston, Cerveny, and Chinese-sourced tubas. I haven't seen an Alex with the Sanders engraving...

Here are a couple of pics: The first one shows a horn that could still be at Custom music that looks like a Marzan valve section and an Alex body.

The second image shows two nearly identical tubas. The one on the right is engraved Marzan. The one on the right in engraved Sanders but lacks the 'on-the-top' main slide.

There's some odd stuff out there!

[TheBerlinerTuba]

Hallo TubaTinker,
thank you for sharing photos of your Löw tuba. I see his instruments occasionally here in Germany, and I believe they were made to a very high standard for the time. The tuba is actually in Bb, but in low pitch. 100yrs ago here, there was no standard a=440, so you see quite a variety, with some Bb tubas sounding like a modern "A" or even in "B natural". For example, it was common in Saxon(East Germany) or Thuringen for some tubas (and other brass) to be in "Hoch Es-high Eb tuning. To our modern ears, it sounds like a very flat E natural/sharp Eb.

I'm sure the maker would have been happy to know his tubas are still being played.

Best Regards,
2165

[Dan Schultz]

Dan, What makes you think its an Alex body and not one of the many variations that were made by B&M? Cool horns all regardless of source!

Dunno. I have a tough time even figuring out who's making what these days!

[Dan Schultz]

Hallo TubaTinker,
thank you for sharing photos of your Löw tuba. I see his instruments occasionally here in Germany, and I believe they were made to a very high standard for the time. The tuba is actually in Bb, but in low pitch. 100yrs ago here, there was no standard a=440, so you see quite a variety, with some Bb tubas sounding like a modern "A" or even in "B natural". For example, it was common in Saxon(East Germany) or Thuringen for some tubas (and other brass) to be in "Hoch Es-high Eb tuning. To our modern ears, it sounds like a very flat E natural/sharp Eb.

I'm sure the maker would have been happy to know his tubas are still being played.

Best Regards,
2165

WOW! Thanks for your input. This horn did indeed play well below Bb.... with intonation around A=425, the fundamental pitch was very close to an 'A. I made a new leadpipe to get the pitch up to modern standard. I preserved the original leadpipe in case someone want's to put it back to original.

Have you seen rotary horns with this type of bumpers and stop arms? Tell us all you know and post pictures of other J. Löw instruments. Post here but please also send me an email to danschultz@wowway.com" target="_blank and let me know where in Germany you are located.

[TheBerlinerTuba]

Hello,
yes I've seen this type of stop arm mechanic...not very often though!
Jacob Löw is mentioned by Herman Heide in a couple of his books, mainly due to Löw patenting certain types of valves and mouthpieces in the early 20th century. I have a bit more time this weekend, and I'll see if there are any good pics in Heide's book. Unfortunately I don't have another photo of a Löw tuba, but the two I've seen were more conventional than yours.
Regards,
2165

[Frank Ortega]

If you shorten the leadpipe, will you have to shorten all the valve slides too?

Looks like a great horn!

[Dan Schultz]

If you shorten the leadpipe, will you have to shorten all the valve slides too?

Looks like a great horn!

Ordinarily, yes. But... I didn't have to change the tuning circuits on this one but they are 'pushed in' all the way. At one time, the horn may have had to have been 'pulled out' to be in tune. Maybe the builder already 'did the math' for BBb horn and then dropped the pitch to A=425 by virtue of a longer leadpipe... which then required pulling the tuning circuits out a dab.

However.... note that the 2nd slide has only about 1" of 'pull'.

There is indication that the leadpipe was lower on the bell at one time. I could be that the horn was built closer to A=440 (or higher) and then modified with the longer leadpipe to play in low pitch. 120 years is a long time for a horn to go without being 'messed with'!

The body does not appear to have ever been messed with. The main slide and 1st branch also look original.

Who knows what the builder was thinking over 100 years ago?!