TubeNet

A Hirsbrunner BBb with a Bach 18. It is what the school had to use. I started a bit later on the tuba (Sophomore in college).

My first non-tuba mouthpiece combo was an olds single horn in F with a holton mc mp.

I volunteered to play tuba during my sophomore year of high school after years of sitting at third cornet.

The school's horns at the time were a pair of Conn white fiberglass sousaphones, which were used for marching, but there was also a sousaphone chair for concert settings.

In addition, there was a horribly mangled Reynolds or Olds 3-valve 3/4 BBb. It was so dented and crushed it resembled and played like a trash can. Unfortunately it had to be used more times than anyone ever cared to remember.

An interesting concert horn owned by the school was a 3-valve Olds or Reynolds recording bell BBb with a fiberglass body. It actually played very well and was the horn of choice to take to solo and ensemble competitions. During my time as tuba player, the fiberglass concert tuba was taken apart and sent to an auto body shop that specialized in Corvettes. They filled in cracks and gave it a gold paint job. I wonder occasionally if any of these fiberglass recording bell horns still exist today or have devotees.

For mouthpieces, there was a collection of Conn, Bach 24AW and Hellebergs that are probably still there.

wisekwai wrote:I wonder occasionally if any of these fiberglass recording bell horns still exist today or have devotees.

Fiberglass Reynolds Tuba

First , middle school, was a King sousaphone and a King mouthpiece. I had no idea what I was doing.

High school was King BBb 4-valve, straight bell and Bach 18. Great combo all through high school

I started on a fiberglass Sousa in 6th grade, with a Bach 18. The director asked me to play tuba because I was the biggest kid to try out for band (I clocked in at about 90 lbs) I sat in that horn on my bed when I practiced. I'm guessing it was about 1972.

One of those generic 3 called Yama has with a 7B mouthpiece

*valved
*yamahas

I was in 9th grade when my band teacher said he had too many trumpet players and needed one of us to play the tuba. I was the only one who raised my hand because I didn't see myself as a good trumpet player. I was destined to play the third part for as long as I could see. At least tuba I would be needed. I was given an old, very dented, extremely neglected, 3/4 sized Miraphone tuba. I think the mouthpiece was a 24AW?

Holton Sousaphone with a Blessing 18 mouthpiece. First Tuba I owned personally was a Yamaha YBB-321 with the same Blessing 18.

We were blessed with some great Miraphone 186 tubas and I started with a Bach 24 and moved fairly quickly to a Bach 18 that I played throughout high school. Like many others, I volunteered to switch to tuba in high school. My sophomore year our band director asked for a volunteer as THE main tuba player was graduating that year and the other tuba player was ... well, a non-player. I was destined to be in a never-ending contest for first chair in the trombone section with a friend and I loved playing low notes/ bass parts so I decided to make the move. I spent study hall periods learning fingerings on an old baritone and started my apprenticeship with the senior tuba player after marching season.

Just got my first tuba at age 64. Olds 99 with a Yamaha 67C4.
I can't get the pics small enough to post.
Pretty beat up.

First horn was a Conn Director cornet with a 7b mouthpiece. Got it for 4th grade band.

When I was 27, I traded it in toward the purchase of my first tuba: York Eb Monster with three valves in satin silver. It had that odd, small shank receiver for which I was able to find an old York mouthpiece to fit.

Provided by the school that I attended was a disappointing Caravelle(?) tuba that was convertible from concert horn to marching tuba (extended leadpipe while holding horn on shoulder, much like DCI’s contras but nowhere as good a sound). Playing the school’s old 20K sousaphone was far superior. The mouthpiece was a Holton Galaxy which I still have (someone on TubeNet asked about buying one of these a few months ago...).

The first tuba that I owned was a 24J/25J. That was a fun horn, but I moved on to better instruments.

In fifth grade I started on a three-valve Olds Ambassador baritone with a Bach 11 mouthpiece. I still have the mouthpiece. The horn could still be in service somewhere. The Ambassadors were pretty decent players and built like tanks.

I played what I was issued in 6th grade- a YBB103 plus Bach 18 mouthpiece. Didn't change my setup until they handed me something else in High School (King 1140 + 24AW (eww)).

When I switched to tuba in 10th grade, I just started out with what I was given. The school had a fleet of Yamaha YBB-321’s. Man, those are solid players! I still like those horns to this day. I believe(?) I used a 24AW mouthpiece. I didn’t know too much about horns or mouthpieces back then, and I couldn’t afford to be picky; I was just glad to have a horn in fully functional condition!

Started in 8th grade on a Conn 10J with a Bach 24 AW mouthpiece, no case for the tuba and it was beat pretty badly.

I was handed a tiny Jupiter 3/4 when I made the switch Jr. year of high school. I was given a generic yamaha mouthpiece. Jupiter instruments are stuffy and raspy as they come. This one was particularly hard to make a characteristic sound. Glad I finally moved on to a pro horn