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Let's see.... there this one... my 1927 Conn 38K


and this old Conn 38K over in the Netherlands


and this 1921 50th Anniversary Conn Sousaphone


and there's this old 1921 Conn 4V Eb


Plus I have a friend that has a 1924 Conn raincatcher sousaphone that is gold plated.

But I think the tank they used to dip these has long since been put out of service. Maybe Anderson's has a tank big enough?

....and maybe some diamonds inset around the bell ring would start a new fad if you can claim that the sound is improved.

Seriously though........satin gold w/ bright gold inside the bell and bright gold flanges, slides and trim, could look mighty awesome. Maintenance would proly be a heck-of-a-sight easier. I have one of those in silver and I have just opted for the mottled grey tarnish look 'cause it's too much work to mess with.

We'd like to see some before and after pic's...please!

Or what about engraving?

See the stuff Jason DuMars does on the following links. I think that would make the horn unique!

http://www.dumarsengraving.com/feedback.html

http://blog.dumarsengraving.com/

http://www.dumarsengraving.com/gallery/index.html

http://www.dumarsengraving.com/

Perhaps one in triple color!

Nah, save the gold plating for York #3.

harold wrote:I can't think of another gold plated horn other than Chuck Daellenbach's Yamaha.

I remember seeing an old H.N. White 5 all piston valve front action tuba that Fred Geib had built for him back in the early 1900s (4 right/1 left). I believe that at one time, it had been gold plated and much of the gold plate had been worn off. I know Warren Deck had this tuba at one time and the last time I saw this tuba was in Dillon Music back in Matt Walter's work space.

I could be wrong, but I think this tuba is now part of Mike Lynch's collection.

A gold plated tuba would look pretty sexy but my speculation on gold plating a tuba is that the gold would eventually wear off on the outer bows in a few years if the horn was used frequently.

-Matt

Harold,
Don Strand in Atlanta has a B & S Symphonie F tuba that is gold-plated. It plays very well, but then so do virtually all of those horns, and Don is an excellent player, so its hard to say what the plating does for the sound.

If your instrument is gold-plated over a really good silver plating, and the plater puts a generous amount of gold on it, then you will have a fine museum piece that will withstand light use. However, gold is quite soft, and a lot of care is called for in cleaning the horn, or you can polish the gold right off of the horn. The same goes for a horn that will be played and handled a lot - the gold will probably not last in the areas that get handled the most.

For several reasons, a good lacquer finish is my favorite for a tuba - 1) it is less expensive, 2) it is the easiest-to-clean finish available, 3) modern epoxy lacquer is as substantial as modern silver plate, 4) and it is much easier to spot-repair lacquer than to spot-plate silver, with better results. Plus, modern lacquers are friendlier to the environment than any kind of plating set-up. I have recently been seeing more plating difficulties, and wonder if the ever-tightening EPA regulations are going to eventually make plating a thing of the past.

I have an old York that I will probably refinish this year, and I think it will get a retro-looking dark gold-tint lacquer - looks much like gold-plate.

Gold tinted lacquer is not a bad idea. I never fail to be surprised at how many people ask if my gold lacquered Neptune is gold plated

Jettie,
I have no idea what Tuba Tinker is up to in his shop - "wipe-on plating", "plumbing fixtures"? Are you sure he's not using plumber's lead-free solder?!! It does look a lot like satin-silver and is quite durable (just kiddin').

DP does bring up a good point - a horn can be over-done. When putting together the Kanstul 5-valve CC, Mr. Kanstul and I discussed the finish. I had mentioned the possibility of gold-plated trim, etc., but we decided that it would be best to use a more conservative bright silver plate and let the instrument speak for itself as opposed to the "Pimp my Tuba" route.

By the way, Dale, the TeleTubby avatar is pretty original.

Lee Stofer wrote: "Pimp my Tuba"

Of all the things I would expect out of the mouth of Lee Stofer, that has to be the least expected! You never cease to amaze me! BTW any progress on my euph? PM me.

Black with gold trim. Hey, if euphoniums can do it, why not tubas? Or maybe euphonists have a greater need (like trumpet players) for pimpification...

Rugs-n-Relics has or had a Besson in blue lacquer with gold lacquer tuning slides & details. Looked great.

if you are going to be using this as an every day horn I would discourage the gold plating on the tubing, inside the bell would probably be fine so long as you are not using a practice mute that could wear the finish. I know at least one person who has a gold plated instrument that is used as a daily instrument and after about 5-6 years of use you could see a marked deterioration of the plating. not real sure what the diference is between the way gold and silver is put on but the gold seemed to wear out a lot faster than the silver.

My experience with a gold double-bell euphonium says that gold is too soft, and will wear too quickly. If you do try it, plan on not using the horn very often, or using those gloves that come with a "genuine" Selman...

I *do* like the Selmer gold like on my older K-Modified trumpet and on the Mark VI saxophones. If I ever bought a new horn (or had one stripped, rebuilt and restored) I would strongly consider having it lacquered with Selmer gold- right from the beginning.

Yes, indeed. I've made a couple of quips, but in reality think about the fact that the major manufacturers, if they use gold plate for their production instruments (not custom or boutique instruments) they have traditionally only used it for the inside of the bell, or maybe also some detail work, as on a Besson Prestige euph.