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I was looking around in the band storage closet today and found a Besson Eb tuba. It has "Stratford" on the bell. This is a silver 3 valved horn with a small shank (guessing European). The Yamaha mouthpiece I had on hand barely fit. There are almost no dents on the horn but needs a major polishing job.

And this horn really PLAYS! It was a joy just to play around with it during my planning period. It played very smooth and the notes just pop out. I plan on putting it to use in one of my high school tuba quartets and maybe the brass ensemble.

I know this is an odd instrument to find in an American(probably) high school band closet. It has to be at least 20 years old, maybe more.

Any information on this model and ideas on the ideal mouthpiece would be greatly appreciated.

I believe that the Besson "Stratford" was their student line of horns, similar to the 700 series. I can't get my hands on the information I did have about them, but I seem to remember them being made in the 60s and 70s.

This has the small, "Besson" receiver that has been discussed a couple of times recently. The one mouthpiece still made with this shank off the shelf that I know of is the Denis Wick line, without the "L" designation.

Here's a link to some specs:

http://www.mouthpieceexpress.com/pages/ ... _tuba.html

I think that a Denis Wick 3 would be a good mouthpiece for this. A 2 would work if you like a little larger cup, or a 4 or 5 if you want something smaller, but I have found them too small, even for my Eb tubas..

Stratford was the 3rd Besson line after New Standard and Westminster. The bodies of the small Eb tubas were quite similar to the Westminsters, only the Stratfords had the tuning slide in the leadpipe. whereas the Westminsters had the tuning slide in the inner bottom bow.

The instruments were sturdily built and could take quite a beating, windwise, without the sound breaking up.

Both models were non-compensating, but then they had an additional tuning peculiarity caused by a wish for a safe closing of the case lid.

1+3 always is sharp on non-compensated instruments. But with the Stratfords and Westminsters it was extremely sharp.

The precise minor third lowering could only be obtained, when the 3rd slide was pulled beyond the profile of the bottom bow.

As told probably too many times I was the director of a small brass band in an extremely poor Christian youth organisation. I had such a Westminster as my lowest instrument. Fortunately played by a genius. I gave him a DW1, and he made it sound like a hugaphone, which we never had been able to afford in real money.

My brass galleries hold these illustrations of Stratford basses:

Thumbnails of three Besson Stratford 1958 and 1960 Eb tubas:
http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/yo ... +tuba+1958

http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/yo ... 60+Eb+tuba

http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/yo ... b+tuba+3TP

Thumbnails of two Besson Stratford BBb tubas 3P:
http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/yo ... Bb+tuba+3P

http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/yo ... b+tuba+3TP

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Klaus