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I have a V. F. Cerveny ABB 681 Bb tuba. On the neck, it says "Made in Czech Republic" and has an "X" on it. There are no serial numbers. I've looked on the Cerveny website and have found nothing on it since they do not seem to make ABB models anymore. Can anyone give me more information about my tuba?

Welcome to TubeNet! Is this your tuba?

http://www.vfcerveny.cz/en/rotary-valve ... -cbb-681-4" target="_blank

The "ABB" may mean it was sold as an Amati Kraslice tuba. There is a relationship between Cerveny and Amati Kraslice, covered here:

http://www.vfcerveny.cz/en/company/history" target="_blank

and:

http://www.amati.cz/en/company/history" target="_blank

We'd love to see a picture of your tuba..............

Welcome to TN. The newer model is the CBB 681. Being the ABB it is older. I'm not sure when the models were switched. ABB was a great horn to play though.

My vague impression is that Amati vs. Cerveny may just be about the shape of the valve paddles, the former being of the more traditional round shape.

What do the valve springs look like? Are they helical springs, out in open between the valve paddles, or concentric "clock springs" in a round metal housing?

Here's a picture of a tuba with both (don't ask me why! Some people like to wear both belt and suspenders, I hear)

I have an Amati (Cerveny) ABB 681 made in Kraslice in 1976. Has the round paddles. Linkages are easy and quick . . . they do rattle a bit. It's a good horn.

Donn wrote:My vague impression is that Amati vs. Cerveny may just be about the shape of the valve paddles, the former being of the more traditional round shape.

What do the valve springs look like? Are they helical springs, out in open between the valve paddles, or concentric "clock springs" in a round metal housing?

Here's a picture of a tuba with both (don't ask me why! Some people like to wear both belt and suspenders, I hear)

Looks like one of Dan's (Tuba Tinker) retrofits.

Indeed that photo is from Dan's web site - do a text search for "clock":
http://www.thevillagetinker.com/projects.htm

the elephant wrote:The Czech Republic was created in 1993, so your horn probably would be from after that time. My former Piggy was Stamped Czecho-Slovakia on the mouthpiece receiver and CSSR on the bell. It was from the late 1960s. Not sure how older, pre-communisim horns would have been marked.

Stumbled upon this old thread looking for something else but from what I've been able to tell, pretty much:

Before the end of WWI: "In Bohemen"

Between end of WWI and beginning of Communist rule: "CSR" (Czecho Slovak Republic)

Then "Czecho-Slovakia" and so on up through the current "Czech Republic"

This is based upon the many Cerveny instruments I own, have owned and repaired and comparing them to old Cerveny catalogs. It is in no way definitive but I think pretty close to reality.

I actually really like the CBB 681. It's a fun tuba to play, and has a great low register. Even low 1+2+4 Eb pops out pretty well. Dark resonant low register; gets brighter in the middle and upper registers. Pretty much a point-and-shoot horn with the only real pitch issue being the typical flat 5th partial open D in staff.
Even though the Cerveny is the predecessor design to the Miraphone 186, it plays and sounds different.
The Miraphone has much better build quality and is a more refined tuba, but I think I still prefer the sound and response of the Cerveny 681