So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

[Rick Denney]

Lessee...

Besson Stratford, traded for a valve trombone, in turn traded for:
Musica 4-valve F tuba, also traded away.
Sanders SM1314U—really a Cerveny 4-valve Bb 4/4. It and the Musica were traded for:
Miraphone 186, which I played for many years, but eventually traded it in.
Yamaha YFB-621 F tuba, the reason I no longer needed the Musica.
Vespro 4/4 Bb—made by VMI right after reunification, sold to a Baptist church after getting the 186 overhauled.

I owned only the Miraphone and the Yamaha for about a decade.

York Master Bb, B&M-made, great tuba that helped me cross a bridge. For sale but I’m not giving it away.
Conn 20J, just because. Came and went.
Holton BB-345. Great tuba for stages with shells, which I never play on. Not for sale. Bloke is right.
Conn 14K, just because. Hangs on the wall. Another one on the porch.
B&S Symphonie 5-valve F tuba, sold to fund:
B&S Symphonie-style 6-valve F tuba—my daily quintet horn.
Hirsbrunner HBS-193. What I traded my 186 (plus a lot of cash) for.

Projects:
Missenharter Eb chopped into almost F, nickname “Solder Practice”.
Martin fiberglass tuba that Art Hovey still grumbles about me buying, not without justification. It’s my old-age tuba. Or that’s the idea.

So, the current stable of regulars includes the Hirsbrunnner and the B&S, with the Holton and the Yamaha for when I need a change.

That totals 16, of which I still have half.

And then there are the two trombones, an Olds Ambassador and a Conn 48H. And a Besson New Standard euphonium.

Rick “not that many for nearly 50 years of playing” Denney

[vespa50sp]

Old thread, but I'll play. I always played on school horns and community band horns until I was 40 then:
- Besson 700 Bb (sold)
- Lyon and Healy Chicago Siver Piston Eb Helicon (for sale soon)
- LaSete Cold War German Eb (cranky, but sounds nice)
- Conn 28k Sousa (for sale soon)
- Conn 12j (sold)
- Conn 14k Sousa (sold)

Now that I'm retired and the kids are out of the house, I've given myself permission to buy something nice after I clean out the herd. I think I need to actually try out a bunch before I make a decision. Usually I've bought them sight unseen. In the meantime, I'll just play the LaSete.

[bort]

How many?

One less than I'm about to...

[DannyEldredTuba]

I’ve owned 6 tubas in my life, I only have two now.

My first tuba was a 4 valve BBb Carl Wunderlich that my mother purchased at a yard sale. They thought it was a euphonium and we bought it for $300. It was a terrible tuba and was extremely hard to play. When I started my undergrad I traded it in and bought a Miraphone 1295. This was also a terrible tuba. Anything below a G was almost impossible to play. It was the first tuba where my instructor said “you have to get a new tuba” a couple years later I traded that for a Meinl Weston 2145. I loved this horn so much, it was beautiful, intonation was spot on, low register was perfect. I was walking to my lesson in Baltimore and I got hit and fell backwards on it. It completely crushed. I luckily had Insurance on it and was able to get my current CC tuba, MW 5450 Thor. For F I bought a Meinl Weston 45SLP which was the easiest F tuba I’ve ever played. The low register was insanely easy for an F tuba. The only problem was I am a very heavy player and it did not sound anything like an F tuba when I played it. I traded that in for a B&S PT-10 which I still currently play. I think it has all the best parts of the 45SLP with out the heavy ness. But the low register is definitely not as good as the 45SLP.

TLDRL:
Carl Wunderlich BBb
MIraphone 2195 CC
Meinl Weston 2145
Meinl Weston 45SLP
Meinl Weston 5450 Thor (currently own)
B&S PT-10 (currently own)

[deputysgttuba]

Not many in almost fifty years of playing;
Mahillion F
Reynolds BBb converted from recording bell to upright.
Bohm & Meinl “Symphonic” CC
B&S PT-20P CC.
I wouldn’t mind an extra smaller CC as a spare....

[Timswisstuba]

About 100 for me.

[kingrob76]

Owned:

Cerveny Piggy
Miraphone 188
Yamaha 321 Eb
Kalison Pro 2000
Yamaha 621 F
Getzen CB-50
Miraphone 1291

Presently own:

Wessex Chicago Presence

That's about 35 years of instruments. In the case of the CC tubas I've always replaced one with another, and only the Piggy and the 1291 were brand new horns.

[bort]

I think I can connect the dots and remember which unnamed CC tuba you're talking about (after 45,000+ posts, not a lot of secrets remaining! ). All that just to say... I didn't realize you built the CC helicon THAT long ago.

[That1TubaGuy]

Only one, my Kalison Daryl Smith and it has done wonders since I have got it.