Why so many older Eb tubas compared to BBb??

[MartyNeilan]

It seems to me that an overwhelming majority of older (late 19th century to early mid 20th century) tubas for sale are Eb tubas and not BBb. I would have figured it to be 50-50 but anectdotal evidence shows otherwise.
Any ideas as to why??

[windshieldbug]

I suspect a couple of reasons:

EEb was the lowest tuba from the saxhorns on, and

Reading EEb bass clef was the same as reading treble clef with a couple of sharps added (like the British brass band tradition of treble clef), thus making it easier for people to move from high to low in town bands...

[Dan Schultz]

I suspect there was a day... up until around 1950... that the majority of 'starter' tubas sold to schools were Eb horns with three pistons. Today, who wants them?... THAT's why they are for sale. You seldon see them going for more that a couple of hundred bucks... unless they're something special like one of the 'monstor' Eb's that folks like for CC conversions. I usually have twice as many Eb horns as BBb horns on hand... but like I said, nobody wants a run-of-the-mill three piston Eb tuba.

[Chuck(G)]

I suspect there was a day... up until around 1950... that the majority of 'starter' tubas sold to schools were Eb horns with three pistons. Today, who wants them?... THAT's why they are for sale. You seldon see them going for more that a couple of hundred bucks... unless they're something special like one of the 'monstor' Eb's that folks like for CC conversions. I usually have twice as many Eb horns as BBb horns on hand... but like I said, nobody wants a run-of-the-mill three piston Eb tuba.

Agreed. a friend brought in a 3-valve Conn Eb (3/4 size, not the monster) and wondered if he could get $500 for it. I opined that he might be able to get a third of that.

A shame really, it was a decent enough player.

About three weeks ago, I ran into a classified as for a Buescher Eb and called the seller. He told me that he sold it for $25 after no one would buy it for $75.

It's amazing what difference 6 feet of tubing makes in price.

[GC]

I imagine that the price for 4-valve Eb tubas is considerably higher and that the market is considerably tighter.

[Steve Inman]

The old BBb tubas make better planters (bigger) and more impressive wall-hangers, so you don't see as many in circulation! You can't cultivate an entire victory garden in the bell of your old Couesnon Eb like you can in a York or a Martin ....

<gasp>

Hoping that's not really true,

[imperialbari]

The old BBb tubas make better planters (bigger) and more impressive wall-hangers, so you don't see as many in circulation! You can't cultivate an entire victory garden in the bell of your old Couesnon Eb like you can in a York or a Martin ....

<gasp>

Hoping that's not really true,

Those old BBb’s still being in shape probably still are played around in local community bands.

A whole lot of the larger BBb’s have been cut for CC-projects. Not too happy seen in the light of instrument history.

Fortunately some of the old 3-top pistons BBb’s have been disassembled, then have had their large branches mirrored, and then with a new leadpipe and a new valve block have become fine 4 front action piston BBb’s. Historically problematic, but the alternative had been the scrap-yard or re-melting.

The smaller Eb 3 top piston instruments still have some popularity over here. They are good for starting kids in marching bands (which hardly ever are school related here – they are run by private organisations more like the US drum corps movement, but on much lower budgets).

They are used for marching by the few female marching bands within our equivalent of, what is the Territorial Army/National Guard in other countries).

They also are popular with older players in amateur bands and the voluntary military corps (I don’t think the term of “military corpsesâ€