HN White/King CC string rotary CC Tuba with a new/old look

[Z-Tuba Dude]

I too, have a 1241 with both a recording bell & a 22" upright bell. (The recording bell rocks for outdoor gigs!)

I eventually ended up getting a 19" bell, which I liked because it seemed like a more compact sound (kinda C-tuba-ish, I thought at the time).

It would be very interesting to try a 16" bell just for curiosity sake, although I don't know if I would need the Bb horn to sound TOO compact (that's what I have C & F tubas for!).

[swillafew]

That fine tech in 1980 was probably Paul Walton or Eric Peterson http://stbb.org/personnel/eric.html. I lived up there then, and my teacher owned a horn like this, maybe the same horn.

[bisontuba]

Hi-
Yes, it was Eric who overhauled it in 1980....
Mark

[bort]

You know, I guess the MW Bill Bell CC also has a 16.5" bell. Guess this makes sense for that reason too, then!

[bisontuba]

Hi-
From a 2008 old Mike Lynch post here on Tubenet..FYI..mark
PS: 16" bells and .687 CC King's also used by Torchinsky, Novotny, etc.

"Mr. Bell used .687 bore Kings. One he owned first has a 15 1/2 inch bell. The one he played with the NY Phil has a 16 inch bell.
Although he has been pictured with .750 bore models (as on one of the covers for his album), so far as I know, he never owned one."

[bisontuba]

Hi-
I have a 1940 CC .687 bore 4 string rotor King and a 1929 CC .750 bore 4 piston King--not sure without measuring if there is a visual difference in appearance between the 4 string rotor CC .687 and .750 bore Kings--Mike would be the better person to answer this....
Mark

[bisontuba]

Hi-
I was in the Cleveland Ohio area today doing a horn trade and finally stopped at 5225 Superior Ave., Cleveland, Ohio--same address as the old HN White/King factory before moving to Eastlake OH...now residing there is a public housing building in a poor neighborhood...here's a pic of the sign out front... just a FYI..mark

[Ken Herrick]

I know that "purists" might not like this idea but, I can recommend it.

Make this into a fixed bell model. It is an easy mod, taking only about 1 hour or less.

I turned my 1241 I got from Dan S into one and the improvement in response and sound was significant.

It is simple. remove the two collar halves, cut the lower one just below the tenon screw holes and cut the inner flange from the bell so it fits exactly to the "stack". Ensure a tight fit and solder back together.

Minimal shortening of overall length, a consolidation of the vibrating tube and a lovely improvement.

Must admit, I have long been very tempted to cut the bell diameter down to about 17 in. To my eye it just makes sense.