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Mr. Bloke,

I need a CC tuba for Kolij.

How much would it cost to cut that one down for me??

Which mouthpiece to you recommend??

How much more and how better would it be if it was silver plated? How does it compare with Chinese tubas?

Do you think you could make one of those left handed for only a few hundred dollars more?

Can the piston valves be switched out for those new-fangled Z valves??

If so, what are the legal ramifications for end users of an illegally copied or pirated technology??

Can you combine the valve blocks and splice the bells together for a sub-contra Z pitched bi-directional sub-bloke-o-phone?

I have often thought what would make a really good 'comp' tuba would be simply adding a 4th valve to a 3 valve comp. This would give the good tuning inherent in the 3 valve compensating system with the extended low range gained with the 4th valve. With a longer than normal 4th circuit and possibly a tuning trigger an in tune chromatic range down to the pedal range would be achieved.

In the early 60's the 3 valve Bessons were very well regarded as good sounding, "in tune" instruments. I used one in HS prior to getting my first King monster rotary. I agree that the 'preferred" notes were very good on that recording bell instrument.

A line of 6 or 8 of those big Bessons at the back of a big symphonic band such as the University of Illinois bands of that era was rather impressive visually and sound wise.

Maybe it is worth mentioning that they came with a Sousaphone style bit. The factory original took British shank but American size were available. This greatly improved ergonomics and certainly did not harm playing characteristics.

My high school only had those awful, dinky convertible tubas of now forgotten brand name.

When we did an exchange workshop and concert with a high school band that travelled 150 miles to share the weekend with our band, their two tubists were playing those big Besson 4-valve recording basses. I remember how thrilled I was when I received permission to play one of those for a reading session on Friday evening. It was my first experience with a recording bass. I felt on top of the world playing that big, powerful horn.

Ken Herrick wrote:I have often thought what would make a really good 'comp' tuba would be simply adding a 4th valve to a 3 valve comp. This would give the good tuning inherent in the 3 valve compensating system with the extended low range gained with the 4th valve. With a longer than normal 4th circuit and possibly a tuning trigger an in tune chromatic range down to the pedal range would be achieved.

In the early 60's the 3 valve Bessons were very well regarded as good sounding, "in tune" instruments. I used one in HS prior to getting my first King monster rotary. I agree that the 'preferred" notes were very good on that recording bell instrument.

A line of 6 or 8 of those big Bessons at the back of a big symphonic band such as the University of Illinois bands of that era was rather impressive visually and sound wise.

Maybe it is worth mentioning that they came with a Sousaphone style bit. The factory original took British shank but American size were available. This greatly improved ergonomics and certainly did not harm playing characteristics.

Some years ago I had a @1971 New Standard BBb 3-valve comp, with the traditional 17" upright bell, and for a few years I considered all sorts of ways to try to extend the near-pedal range, whether grafting in a 4th valve somewhere along the pipe from the valve block to the main tuning slide, or elsewhere. Then I considered a dependent valve, but to what pitch - Eb, D, Db? Finally, with the lack of a true usable open BBb pedal tone, even if I could shoehorn enough tubing in to get the intermediate pitches, and that the cost of modifications would have been a multiple of what the tuba cost me in the first place, I left well enough alone: a perfect brass band and concert band tuba, with a usable range of E below open BBb to the top of the staff, with a Wick 1 mouthpiece, with the only work-around being a stuffy C and B nat below the staff that took care to intonate, but absolutely no pitch issues.

Are you going to hang a Bloke-o-Vision camera on the edge of the bell so you can see the conductor?

[quote="bloke"]powerful/wonderful sound...great intonation...' is making me smile

This one's a 3-valve comp... ("fake" notes are strong with the 24" recording bell) ...so (I suppose, then...??) I defacto have SIX Besson compensating tubas sitting here.

bloke "...and, actually, these doofus-looking recording bell Besson BBb tubas are NOT as doofus-looking from the FRONT as they are from the side-view or back-view. They actually look 'good' from the front."

-> two thumbs up <- " yep " ... I love mine

bloke wrote:............ sounds like the voice of God.

You mean like an Alexander?

bloke wrote:...with all the chit-chat here over ALL of our various tubas... The ONLY TWO people who NOTICED this tuba at the gig[/color] were the- bass trombone player- (MUCH later) principal trombone player

Maybe they're used to you bringing different tubas so they weren't paying attention

But seriously, folks- I have a much smaller Besson which I like very much for very small group playing. For anyone looking to try one of these, here's a relatively cheap one on eBay that is supposed to be playable:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BESSON-BBb-TUBA ... 3aad438361" target="_blank

bloke wrote:The ONLY TWO people who NOTICED this tuba at the gig were the
- bass trombone player
- (MUCH later) principal trombone player

There's lots of things people notice and don't say nothing.

bloke wrote:naw...

This $500 beat-up old Besson (not $5000, as buyers of beat-up old Alexanders typically pay) actually plays pretty well in tune.

Then it would fit right into our three-Alexander section...... and besides, we got much better deals on our recently purchased non-beat-up Alexanders.

(turns cannon around like the Russians did after thawing out the abandoned French cannon at the end of "1812")