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I was just looking at the new Dillon's site and saw this interesting creature. Thought a few of you might know something about instruments of this type and pitch.

http://www.dillonmusic.com/usedimages/0 ... 3554AM.jpg

Helicons smaller than the bass tuba pitch of F never were common, but they have been made right down to Eb alto. My galleries hold illustrations of a Boston made alto helicon.

A lot of instruments appear to be anonymous. My idea is, that most started out with an engraving, but that they have been buffed and polished too much.

The large bell ferrule might point towards Cerveny.

The two long stays have spearheaded ends like the makers in Saxony used to hammer and cut them, but then the Germans usually made such stays out of nickel silver. Again I would point south of the border.

The pigtail in the tuning slide is either a way of “absorbingâ€

imperialbari wrote:Helicons smaller than the bass tuba pitch of F never were common, but they have been made right down to Eb alto.

Seems to me I see new Bb baritone helicons at online auctions all the time, made in India. Might be better players than this one, too, not that I have any reason to believe they're playable.

Might be an optical illusion or something, but the taper seems unusually broad, gets fat fast after the valve section.