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I believe that I have heard of/seen (on the internet) the idea of taking a flugelhorn, and having it reconfigured to look like a soprano tuba!

My question is this:

Has anyone here, done it? (or, do you know anyone who has done it?)

If so, what were the results?

If so, what was the @ cost?

It's been done. Albeit it's been awhile. And with a cornet instead of a flugel. But the point is the same:

http://excelsiorcornetband.com/wst_page2.html

circa 1850 complete with Berliner valves:

It's been done more recently as well -- Yamaha made a special upright flugel for the Canadian Brass some years ago. And here are a couple of links for Jestadt upright rotary flugels (with pictures!):

http://www.dillonmusic.com/HeleoCart/Pr ... k4p%2bw%3d

http://www.shires.co.jp/Flg&Cor/Flg&Cor ... estadt.htm

Now that's cute. Almost large enough to hold a couple of beers. Now group that with your Hauptwerk althornen and bariton hornen! (In Munchen Steht A Hofbrauhaus....)

I saw those oval flugelhorns online. They look cool, but are a little pricey.

What I recall was somewhere in California, somebody actually had a technician convert a standard flugelhorn, into an upright tuba shape.

I thought it sounded to me like something that Jim Self might have had done, but I see no mention of it on his website.

I believe that Tony Clements mentioned that some folks had them for his Tubafest holiday performances.

It seems like it would be cool to have one (if it didn't prove to be too expensive).

I actually saw Fred Mills' upright soprano tuba at a Tuba Christmas in Atlanta a few years ago. It does exist and I am sure, if he is still at The University of Georgia, in Athens, he will still have it and may have pictures of it. As I remember it, it looked like a bell front alto horn, but smaller. Of course, with Fred Mills playing it, it sounded very good!

Joe Cordura, recently retired from the Coast Guard Band in New London (CT) had a pocket trumpet converted into upright-bell top-action tuba configuration. He's the kind of guy that can make ANY trumpet sound good. Gary Buttery can probably tell you more about it.

about 20 years ago at the NY Brass Conference, they presented one to Paul Glaser (?) as sort of a gag gift. He was one of the honorees that year. He never played it however. Sounds like it would be a fun horn to have though.

ken k