hacksawing tubas

[Dan Schultz]

I have never considered cutting a 186 because there were plenty of factory built in CC.

[groovlow]

Didn't Bobo use a mirafone 184cc cut to D
Focal Distonia anyone?
I'll take mine in C# soon as I find a 186 under $100

[bububassboner]

Of all of the sought-after CC tubas, seemingly older 16-1/2" bell thin sheet brass Mira[f]one 186 tubas are near the top of that list.

Of all of the tubas that can be cut-down, Miraphone 186 tubas appear to be some of the easiest...

I wonder why no one has cut any of the BBb's to CC ?

bloke "no: not me. I'm not a 186-cutter. I'm just a tubenet troll."

Really? I have an old 186 BBb that I had planned to do just that to. Now that I have it in hand I realized that it's gonna be way harder than I thought originally. Almost every bow is different on the CC vs BBb horns. Not as straight forward as I had hoped.

[windshieldbug]

Of all of the sought-after CC tubas, seemingly older 16-1/2" bell thin sheet brass Mira[f]one 186 tubas are near the top of that list.

Of all of the tubas that can be cut-down, Miraphone 186 tubas appear to be some of the easiest...

I wonder why no one has cut any of the BBb's to CC ?

bloke "no: not me. I'm not a 186-cutter. I'm just a tubenet troll."

Really? I have an old 186 BBb that I had planned to do just that to. Now that I have it in hand I realized that it's gonna be way harder than I thought originally. Almost every bow is different on the CC vs BBb horns. Not as straight forward as I had hoped.

Then just go for a 7/4 F tuba...

[MackBrass]

After studying the Alex BBb and CC tubas I came across a 3 valve BBb that turned out to be a great project for this. I finally received the parts needed for the conversion from Alexander, CC dogleg and main tuning slde. This seems to be a model that Alexander changed with the use of very minimal changes from one to another. I am hoping that at the very least this turn out to be a typical Alex CC but so far the open G's are good to go.

[iiipopes]

I had my local tech trade out the detachable bell stack on my 186 for a Besson 17" BBb bell. The Besson bell needed some trimming to fit the bell stack ferrule. The trimming was done with a hacksaw. Does that count?

[DHMTuba]

I have never considered cutting a 186 because there were plenty of factory built in CC.

This. Why risk ruining a good BBb horn by cutting it, when factory original CCs are relatively easy to find?

[The Big Ben]

I had my local tech trade out the detachable bell stack on my 186 for a Besson 17" BBb bell. The Besson bell needed some trimming to fit the bell stack ferrule. The trimming was done with a hacksaw. Does that count?

And? Howzitwurk?

[windshieldbug]

My 1970 something CC 186 came with a BBb conversion slide. Not sure why they didn't just make those instead of CC and BBb - that way you could have your choice. I am sure there is a reason - just seems logical to me!

That reason being that they didn't make very good BBb tubas with the conversion slide.

Too much down-valve choked bore by only adding length in the slide...

[iiipopes]

I had my local tech trade out the detachable bell stack on my 186 for a Besson 17" BBb bell. The Besson bell needed some trimming to fit the bell stack ferrule. The trimming was done with a hacksaw. Does that count?

And? Howzitwurk?

GREAT! A little broader tone than the old stovepipe "point-and-shoot," and a more complex overtone structure than the wide throat detachable with the chopped St Pete bell. I'll be posting a new thread with pix, but the bottom line is that the detachable over time, ended up being too burbly to have precise articulation with the bass drum in community band settings. I was actually slowing the band down. I didn't have the cash for a new tuba, and even if I did Besson doesn't make the 993 any more, and it is a 19 inch bell anyway, and I already had the bell from a prior project. I am left-handed, but play right handed conventionally, so a 3+1 was out of the question as my left hand would want to take over. So I have great Miraphone valves with the superlative tone and intonation of the Besson bell, which I believe is one of the best bells out there for the tone it produces as a good foundation to a standard concert band, not just a brass band.

EDIT: the folks borrowed my camera for a vacation, so give me a week or so to take pix and post a thread.

[J.c. Sherman]

One of the best BBbs I've ever played was a 163 Alex CC. It had a circular main slide crook and it was fantastic in both keys. I cannot imagine Miraphone not having given it a try... but being that their layout of their CC is different, it may not have been as facile. I'm eyeing a 184 BBb and thinking... "naaaahhhh...."

[iiipopes]

I had my local tech trade out the detachable bell stack on my 186 for a Besson 17" BBb bell. The Besson bell needed some trimming to fit the bell stack ferrule. The trimming was done with a hacksaw. Does that count?

And? Howzitwurk?

My thread is now up:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=61956" target="_blank