TubeNet

Bach some decades ago had a second line named Mercedes, which also encompassed tubas. Samples from my galleries (free and open membership required) :

Thumbnails of a Bach (2nd line:) Mercedes BBb tuba 3 front action pistons and bell up:

http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/yo ... FP+bell+up

Thumbnail of a Bach (2nd line:) Mercedes BBb tuba 4 front action pistons and bell up:

http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/yo ... ba+4FP.jpg

The following photos also show a Mercedes tuba, but who made it? Its serial # is 214418.






The above photos are temporary. They also can be found at:

Thumbnails of a Mercedes BBb tuba 4RV:

http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/yo ... b+tuba+4RV

Klaus

B&S, VMI (whatever you want to call them).

Thanks for both replies!

The base plates for the lyre and for the thumb ring of course is a give away for a B&S connection.

But then the B&S conglomerate had no virginal attitude about making its virtues in form of parts available to others. Not that I thought that this tuba came out of the Stuttgart tri-star production lines.

Joe's reply revealed a business connection yet unknown to me.

B&S says Blechblas- und Signalinstrumente, which means brass and signal instruments. After all they made refined duck-call type signal instruments for the GDR state railways.

The predecessor was Sächsische Musik-Instrumentenfabriken - VEB - Klingenthal/ Sa.

That says just about something like The Saxonian Musical Instruments' Factory - Owned by the People - Klingenthal/Saxonia. Klingenthal in itself says "The Resounding Valley".

As I interpret my sources, B&S is a circa 1965 construction.

The V in VMI refers to Vogtland, the south-west corner of Saxonia, also known as the musical triangle. The location of a lot of major brass makers in the adjacent areas of Saxonia, Bavaria, and Czechia reflects a very complex interaction of religious and political factors, which others have written on in other contexts. Still very sensitive factors to a lot of people still alive.

And the VMI construction belongs to the post-wall-fall era.

Klaus[/code]

imperialbari wrote:B&S says Blechblas- und Signalinstrumente, which means brass and signal instruments. After all they made refined duck-call type signal instruments for the GDR state railways.

Aw, and here I thought B&S stood for "Blech und Schrott"...

The Schrott department was outsourced to Amati.

Klaus

Your horn looks identical to mine, a Sonora branded BBb 4vr.

Mine was identified by Bob Tucci as a stencil of a B&S/VMI PT1 horn, and was manufactured in East Germany in 1986.

Like you, I was interested in the origins of my stencil horn. It seems the same "PT1" horn was distributed under several brands including Sonora and Mercedes.

cjk wrote:B&S, VMI (whatever you want to call them).

Yup.

And to add also to Joe's business connection, a friend here locally has a tuba marked "Bach" that is a clearly a B&S CC. Excellent instrument.

Rick "who thinks some stencils can be a steal" Denney