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What is the most interesting/respectable/desirable tuba model that Kalison ever produced?

Steve Marcus wrote:What is the most interesting/respectable/desirable tuba model that Kalison ever produced?

Darryl Smith 4/4 CC tuba was the one model they made I thought was ok. The F tubas they made were horrible.

A few years ago, I had some correspondence with Michaela about Kalison's relationship to Cazzani & Rampone, whose brass operation they purchased.

She mentioned that at one time, Kalsion had quite a few of the old C&R workmen in their operation but that they'd all retired or died.

The DS to my eye closely resembles an old C&R design, although not as nicely executed as the original.

I believe that Rampone's still in business making soprano saxes.

This is very sad. Although I had little experience with the DS, I had years of fun with the 2000. I love that horn. Yes, high Ab was a booger, but hey....can't have everything for that price. Heck, I won a job on one that I paid $4900 for back in the day.

I know they also built french horns. Anyone have any experience with them?

For anyone who thinks these things are bad horns, do yourself a favor and get to Springfield, VA to take a lesson with retired Marine Band tubist Tom Lyckberg. You may learn nothing but you will be shocked how a Pro 2000 BBb can sound in the hands of a master.

Cameron Gates

Hmmm... sad news.
Can't wait until they have a going out of business sale on these:

Bill

Cameron Gates wrote:you will be shocked how a Pro 2000 BBb can sound in the hands of a master.

Fackeltanz
Deathtree
Tannhauser
Le Roi D'ys
1812
Fingal's Cave
Gallant Seventh

What I wouldn't give to get one more concert with Lyckberg and line these up to be knocked down. Nobody made the big horn dance like The Creature.

Cameron Gates wrote:
I know they also built french horns. Anyone have any experience with them?

The stories you hear are pretty much what you read here: some people liked them, others didn't at all.
The ones I played (although admittedly not that many) didn't impress me, but were ok instruments. Good tuning, good sound, good price but none of these were great. An instrument I'd recommend to a student if it weren't for the better build quility of some of the competition.
They certainly lacked that certain "something" my Alex does have.

Now where have I heard that before

Paul M wrote:Dang...

Maybe this'll make my horn go up in value? *prays*

Perhaps. Hold on to it for a few more years. They might become like Marzan tubas.

WoodSheddin wrote:

Steve Marcus wrote:What is the most interesting/respectable/desirable tuba model that Kalison ever produced?

Darryl Smith 4/4 CC tuba was the one model they made I thought was ok. The F tubas they made were horrible.

One of the guys in London had a very small Kalison F on trial; a group of London F tuba players tried it out and we all thought it was a great horn. Easy to play, nice fat sound, and very good workmanship.

Maybe the good stuff never makes it over to the US?

Jeff Miller wrote:One of the guys in London had a very small Kalison F on trial; a group of London F tuba players tried it out and we all thought it was a great horn. Easy to play, nice fat sound, and very good workmanship.

Was this recently? I remember reading about a Kalison small F tuba back in the late '80s, with pictures of deliriously happy owners. 4 piston + rotor, I think. I never saw one in person, but it was sure photogenic.

Yeah, this was maybe a year ago. The horn was made 3 or 4 years ago, I think.

The guy loved it, but wasn't happy to pay what the dealer was asking for it. I thought it would make a great horn for doing bass lines through an amplifier as it was very responsive and had a small but concentrated sound.

It's a drag about Kalison; I think they may have gotten a bad rap in the US as a crap horn. I did try some of the CC's at the Army conference when they first appeared in the '80's. The horns didn't seem to play very well, but it turned out that the dealer had brought them straight from the shipping depot - when he was packing away to go home, he realised they were full of packing straw.