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I recently purchased an old St. Petersburg BBb for one of my students, (was listed on CL in NYC- if anyone saw it).

The instrument is in raw brass and has a very old- style of paddles & linkages. I'm not sure what this system is called but you can rotate the tension of each paddle with a dial and release lever.

The only serial/ (model) number I could find on the horn is "50" and that is located on the valves.

The previous owner said he thought the instrument is around 70 years old...

Does anyone have any light to shed on this subject?

Thanks!

tubabike wrote:.... The only serial/ (model) number I could find on the horn is "50" and that is located on the valves.....

That '50' means nothing other than to match the parts of THAT individual valveset. Apparently the manufacturers build those valve sections in production lots and your valveset was number '50' in the series.

Sometimes serial numbers were stamped into the paddle mounting bar on rotary horns.

tubabike wrote:The only number I could find on the horn

Usually not a good sign, if they don't want it traced back...

tubabike wrote:I recently purchased an old St. Petersburg BBb for one of my students, (was listed on CL in NYC- if anyone saw it).

The instrument is in raw brass and has a very old- style of paddles & linkages. I'm not sure what this system is called but you can rotate the tension of each paddle with a dial and release lever.

The only serial/ (model) number I could find on the horn is "50" and that is located on the valves.

The previous owner said he thought the instrument is around 70 years old...

Does anyone have any light to shed on this subject?

Thanks!

Hey! Those are pretty huffy horns, no?


Anyway, if it says Saint Pete it has to be fairly new. I have played on one that sounds VERY similar to what you describe. It was at a small rural high school in Arkansas and was purchased used. THe horn was from the late seventies, but looked very old. (mostly due to the archaic linkage and raw brass).


Can we see a picture? That would be the only way for me to say either way. I know the tubenet freak jury has far superior knowledge on this than I do, but I have encountered a raw brass St. Pete, like you have described.

the elephant wrote:It is not a St. Petersburg if it is that old. The company changed names to St. Petersburg when the town's name reverted to that. It would be a Leningrad, of which I have owned one with the clockwork linkages you describe.

Wade, since the Soviets (or the Tsarists) didn't make these things for export, the engraving would be in cyrillic, nyet?

O.K.- yes... pics will come soon.

The student whom I purchased the horn for will be picking it up today so it'll be out of my hands soon.

I'm not quite sure how to post pics but I may just email them to you Wade and take you up on your offer.

The horn does not say: St. Pete, St. Petersburg, or Leningrad.
The only factory markings engraved on the instrument other than the number "50" on the valves is a small logo on the bell, (a circle with an upside down V and what could be interpreted as an ornate music stand... or maybe it is a W.... possibly it is a Volkswagen)? JK

In terms of how the horn plays... I'm liking it. I've had a few students who owned the newer nickel- plated St. Petersburg (or is it St. Pete) tubas and I find this one to be a superior instrument. I'd love to keep this horn for myself (but alas I promised it to my student and am happy for him to be getting it!) There is a nice color and ease to the horn which makes it a real pleasure to play!

I'll get the pictures up (or to Wade) as soon as I can figure out how to turn on my finance's camera!

Thanks for all the input!

Thanks Wade!

That old Cyrillic/Greek "lambda" in the lyre certainly contributes toward the idea of a "Leningrad" tuba.

My tuba looks exactly like this one. Logo, valves, wrap, tarnish and all.

I got it very cheap about a year ago, the person I got it from said he bought it somewhere in the western parts of the former Soviet Union in the early 70's. I think it was new then.

It's got a good clear tone and tunes pretty fair. The valves however are terrible. I've had them tweaked but they're still very loud and will stick every now and then.

My tuba is not a reliable horn for a pro, but works pretty good for me as a learning doubler.

I first saw one of those Leningrad tubas in the late 1970's, when the Leningrad Orchestra performed at Western Kentucky University on their US tour. The tubist was playing a horn that looked much like the current St. Petersburg, except that it was raw brass, had the old s-shaped linkage arms and clockwork linkage.

I was amazed at the unusual tone color of the brass section of this orchestra, and, with some difficulty, managed a brief communication with two or three of the orchestra members before they were whisked away after the concert. The tubist did not speak English, so a string player that did translated. I asked what make of tuba that was, and I was told that they called this B-tubu (BBb tuba), "The Bear", after which they got on the bus and disappeared into the night.

As of the 1990's, these tubas were still available in Europe with the clockwork linkage, at a really low price. The company in the Eastern US that owns the US distribution of these tubas apparently has the valve linkage replaced in Germany, where they also make improvements to the valves themselves. When the rotor bearings are swedged and re-fitted, the valves run pretty nice and the tuba plays rather well.