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Recently I bought an older Miraphone 186-5U without a serial number. ( Miraphones for Dutch market never have serials).
I want to find out when this tuba was made. It made some pictures of details which are different from my more recent made 188. The bell is the older smaller type of 42 cm. The weight is about 1 kg less then my 188.
The rotor back caps have no adjustment screw. I found a message from Lee Stofer in the Tuba forum archives in which he dates an instrument with a feature like this as * before 1960*.
here is the picture of the back cape of the fifth valve..:

target="_blank The picture also shows a nylon insert at the end of the S-linkage . (Can they be obtained new, there is some clearance)? )

Another difference is the thickness of the valve stems. See pictures of vintage 186 and more recent 188.
The sound from the smaller bell is a wonderfull mix of bass and core . I think Marcus Rojas plays an older type like this.

Judging only from the linkage style... which could have been changed... I think you have an early 60's 186. The thumbring on the tuba is not from a Miraphone, though. The absence or presence of the adjusting screws in the back of the cap means little as this is something that 'came and went' and even now those caps are available with or without. The 188 appears to be an early 70's horn. Again... judging only from the linkage style.

Yes.... those Nylon inserts are available new. Allied carries them as well as Badger State, the Tuba Exchange, and others.

Don't know for certain. But... I don't think Miraphones were an item pre-60's.... at least the serial number lists I've seen don't go any further back than 1960.

TubaTinker wrote: 'snip'
Yes.... those Nylon inserts are available new. Allied carries them as well as Badger State, the Tuba Exchange, and others.

'snip'

ooohhh! I need some too!

My best guess would be roughly 1963 or later. The basis for my guess is that all of the 186s that I know of, and can date to when they were bought new, and can date to 1962 or before, have brass slide tubes. But as to a couple that I know of that were new in 1963, the tubes were the now conventional nickel silver. From my experience, 5 valve CC's are relatively uncommon in the mid-60s and earlier horns.

I love those early 60's Mirafones, particularly ones below (very roughly) the #3500 range. My first tuba (the one that started it all) was a 186 BBb manufactured and purchased in 1966.

Mike Lynch

My Mirafone 186 is a Bb, but the serial number, which is below 2000, puts its DOB in 1957!

John Thompson