TubeNet

CSSR would indicate sometime between 1968 and 1989, I'd think. Maybe. Other than that, they've been making tubas since 1835, so it's kinda tough to narrow down!

I have a Walter Sear piggy from about 1970 and it has the thermometer bottom shaped 2nd valve slide. I believe this was their standard slide style up until the late 70's and early 80's as I had another one that had a 2nd valve slide like this one. I still have my earlier one as it plays better than the 2nd one did.

I would say somewhere around 1980.

Just my guess.
Roger

Dating these is difficult. As Steve mentioned, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic wasn't always named that (especially with the abbreviation CSSR). But it was not following the Soviet invasion that subdued the Prague Spring of 1968 when the change occurred. It was the finalization of the socialist constitution in 1960 when that name became official. Before that, and after the Ninth of May constitution in 1948, it was the People's Republic of Czechoslovakia, commonly abbreviated CSR. It was changed to the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic (CFSR) in 1989, and it dissolved into two countries (Czech Republic, which includes Hradec Kralove, and Slovakia) in 1993.

There is no help from the valve paddles. That design was used throughout this period. I had a Cerveny-made Bb tuba bought in 1984 with identical valve paddles.

The linkages look later to me, with ball ends instead of S-links. Roger, does your Walter Sear have S-links? The last time I saw one of those was Bob Pallansch's Piggy and I don't remember.

I'm thinking it could have come from any time during the last half of that period, maybe late 70's on, based on the linkages.

Does anyone know when Cerveny started making the Piggy? Was that a Sear innovation?

Rick "thinking Stalin was much harder on the Czechs than Breszhnev" Denney