Cerveny 601

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Jay Bertolet
pro musician
pro musician
Posts: 470
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2004 9:04 am
Location: South Florida

Post by Jay Bertolet »

I used to own a 601 and it was a wonderful horn. Especially for the money it is hard to beat. In my case, it took a Nirschl 6/4 that I really fell for to get me to sell my 601. You'll just want to do some research ( I suggest starting with the old Tube-Net archives) on what things to look out for with the 601. My experience is that they don't play as well "right out of the box" as some other horns do but they can be made to play well if you're willing to spend the time and money.

My opinion for what it's worth...
Kenneth Sturgeon
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Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2004 2:29 am
Location: Gloucester, MA

Regarding Cervany CC.

Post by Kenneth Sturgeon »

Hi Nick,

Check your e-mail. The 5/4 Cervany 601 I have for sale was Jay Bertolet's old horn that he was talking about. I bought it from him about 2 years ago. I added an Adjustable Gap Receiver which (in my opinion) improved it even more. It is definitely very good for orchestra. I am selling it because I need a smaller 4/4 size horn for my current needs. Here is Jay's own words describing the horn on Tubenet before I bought it.

"Cervany ACB-601 6/4 CC tuba with 5 valves. I used this tuba professionally with the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra for the last few years on really big orchestral works. Even though the horn is approximately 8 years old, it has seen very limited use because it isn't my primary horn. I really regret selling it but I have purchased a much more expensive tuba (Nirschl York Copy) to replace it. The added 5th valve is all factory parts and makes a flat whole step (not the half step configuration available on new models). The work looks absolutely stock. The horn has a couple of extremely small dents, hardly noticable, and overall this horn is in like new condition! CUSTOM WORK includes having the valves and valve ports scooped out to match the .835" bore of the horn, valve linkage replaced with new quieter and faster linkage, & solid strips of wire (3/8" half round) soldered inside the bell and on the top and bottom bows to darken and add core to its sound (modifications suggested by Don Harry, who had one of these tubas himself). The tuba also has a main tuning slide stick for adjusting pitch during play, eliminating the need to pull the individual valve slides. The tuba plays very well in tune so very few notes require adjusting. The lacquer finish is stripped off to the raw brass. The sound is VERY large, like an oversized Rudy Meinl 5/4. This horn PROJECTS LIKE CRAZY with a big germanic sound. If you're looking for a Yorkbrunner or similar style instrument, but don't have the approximately $15,000 to spend, this tuba is your answer! The current Brasswind catalog lists this horn new at $5195 and I've spent over $2000 on the customization. This horn plays much better than any new one you could buy and I'm including an extra BRAND NEW nickel leadpipe with this purchase. Please help me find a good home for this wonderful tuba."

Please e-mail me if your interested.

Ken Sturgeon
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