Valveless Helicon
Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2013 6:38 pm
Some associates of mine recently acquired this Couesnon valveless BBb Helicon, dated 1900. Any info on it's value or desirability would be appreciated. TIA.
It was intended as the bass for the fanfare bands (once) popular in rural France. I haven't seen a BBb helicon documented before, but Bb tenor bugles pop up regularly on French eBay, where they are called bass bugles.
The French republican guard has a mounted band consisting of all bugles and timpani. As far as I remember they play in Eb.
Even if an adequate valve section were available, it would be hard to mount because so much of the tubing is in the double main circle.
Klaus