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Hi I was wondering what model of tuba Harvey Phillips played in that youtube video of him, Roger Bobo, Warren Deck and Daniel Perantoni playing Moondance? I think the brand is Conn but that is just my guess. Thank you.

It looks very much like a Conn 5J. There are other videos with still images of him holding what looks like a Conn.

Conn 3J

Sorry to disagree. That horn seems like it is Harvey's pre-War Conn CC tuba. He reaches through the back of the horn to manipulate the first valve slide and you can't do that on a 2 or 3J, at least I couldn't and Harvey's hand was bigger than mine. The valve cluster is all wrong for a late model Conn to my eyes.

This is the horn that Harvey played most of his career until it was dropped from a loading ramp going into a plane.

Alex C wrote:Sorry to disagree. That horn seems like it is Harvey's pre-War Conn CC tuba. He reaches through the back of the horn to manipulate the first valve slide and you can't do that on a 2 or 3J, at least I couldn't and Harvey's hand was bigger than mine. The valve cluster is all wrong for a late model Conn to my eyes.

This is the horn that Harvey played most of his career until it was dropped from a loading ramp going into a plane.

How hard would that tuba be to find now days?

If you mean that particular tuba, it's probably at the Phillips home or in the possession of a friend who might be trying to make it play again. It seems pretty hopeless from what I've heard.

If you mean that model tuba... I've never seen another but there must have been some made.

Do you know the Key of his horn?

I have a Conn 3J, which is a CC instrument designed for Mr. Phillips in the late 70's. The 2J is the earlier version of the same basic design. I'm told both models were patterned after that original pre-war small Conn CC.

2J's and 3J's are certainly findable, and not expensive. It's a great horn for me to own as a doubler who generally uses a tuba in a show pit, and it responds great with a small mouthpiece. They're small bore (something like .646), 4-piston valve tubas. The pitch is excellent, and the 1st valve slide is easily reachable to pull for low F's and below. The false tones center so well that I can very easily use 1+2 for a low D and 2+3 for a D-flat, and when I have to play a soft pedal C I generally use the 4th valve.

Did Mr. Phillips play pretty much his entire career on a Conn 2 mouthpiece?

After his Pre-war Conn was destroyed what tuba did he move too?

bloke wrote:

TYA wrote:After his Pre-war Conn was destroyed what tuba did he move too?

I seem to recall that Anderson Silver Plating (in cooperation with some unknown-to-me repair shop) repaired Mr. Phillips' tuba after it was severely damaged. Is the small silver Conn CC tuba with which he was associated "forever" a "pre-war" tuba, and the one to which you refer?

As Holton created a similarly-sized signature model, he likely spent some time (towards that end of his career) playing that model as well.

I have seen that Holton BBb Harvey phillips tuba model but is their a CC version of it and it looks kind of big.

Harvey bought his little Conn CC from Abe Torchinsky for something like $200 when he began studying with Bill Bell, and used it for most of his career. It was lacquered brass during the 50s and 60s; some time around 1970 he had it overhauled and silver plated.

He told me that he once had a custom-made bakelite mouthpiece, which he kept in his jacket pocket. Swinging the jacket over his shoulder before a performance, he managed to break the mouthpiece. After that he always used a standard Conn mpc. because he could always find a replacement in any high school if he needed to.

Eli Newberger is now using a Holton Phillips model CC tuba which he says is the one that Harvey used after the runway incident.

TYA wrote:Harvey bought his little Conn CC from Abe Torchinsky for something like $200 when he began studying with Bill Bell, and used it for most of his career.

Mr. Torchinsky told me about selling the Conn to Mr. Phillips. Mr. Torchinsky said that he received a phone call from Bill Bell saying that he had this talented student at Juilliard. Mr. Bell wanted this student to get a CC tuba and was curious if Mr. Torchinsky had a CC tuba to sell the student. Of course, the student to whom Mr. Bell referred was Harvey Phillips. Mr. Torchinsky had this Conn CC tuba that he did not play and would be willing to sell it to Mr. Phillips. A time to meet at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia was arranged and Mr. Phillips came to Philadelphia to try the Conn tuba in the back-stage area. After initial greetings were completed, Mr. Philips began to play the Conn tuba displaying the incredible technical facility that he had mastered while playing for Ringling Brother's Circus. Mr. Torchinsky said that, upon hearing Mr. Phillips, he hoped that Mr. Phillips would decide quickly to buy the Conn and leave before Mr. Ormandy came in heard Mr. Phillips' playing. "Ormandy would have probably fired me and hired Harvey," said Mr. Torchinsky.

Does anyone know of anyone in an American orchestra that plays like they are in a German orchestra? Meaning Using their F tuba as their main and then switching to either a BBb or CC when extra weight is needed/wanted?

TYA wrote:Does anyone know of anyone in an American orchestra that plays like they are in a German orchestra? Meaning Using their F tuba as their main and then switching to either a BBb or CC when extra weight is needed/wanted?

Hmmm....that was sort of random, wasn't it? (but it is a very interesting question, though....)

I had considered a 2J or 3J, but my playing took a different direction and I'm very happy with my current instruments.

In the basement of Drury University in Springfield, Missouri, is a Conn 2J that I have borrowed on occasion and had all the work done to it to keep it top notch. They don't use it, even for quintet, because Drury is a liberal arts institution and the music department is more geared to education majors than performance majors. I've tried and failed. If anybody can convince Dr. Koch to sell it so they can get a standard 4/4 CC for their concert band and orchestra, please be my guest.

This mid sized Conn Eb looks like it's the "same" model/age/...-
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