"B & S" Manufacturing

Robert Tucci · Post by **Robert Tucci** » Tue Apr 10, 2018 3:45 am

The following link:

https://vimeo.com/239119958" target="_blank" target="_blank

was prepared by Gerhard Meinl at the "B & S" factory in Markneukirchen. His commentary is in German. As can be seen, true high-quality F-tubas are still made of sheet brass, carefully built and assembled by the a staff dedicated to traditional methods.

"B & S" manufactures 1,200 tubas per year.

Bob Tucci

Peach · Post by **Peach** » Tue Apr 10, 2018 8:03 am

What's the "Fanny" tuba? In the UK that has quite a different meaning I'm sure... =)

Three Valves · Post by **Three Valves** » Tue Apr 10, 2018 10:17 am

I'm sure I heard someone say, "Augustus, Sweetheart, save some room for later!!"

oedipoes · Post by **oedipoes** » Tue Apr 10, 2018 10:40 am

B&S 3100 WG-L "Fanny" Limited (Andreas Martin Hofmeier model):
https://www.thomann.de/be/bs_3100_wg_l_ ... imited.htm

PMeuph · Post by **PMeuph** » Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:40 pm

Sehr gut!!!

Wer spielt tuba?

PM " Mein Deutsch ist nicht gut" euph

tofu · Post by **tofu** » Wed Apr 11, 2018 1:41 am

Robert Tucci · Post by **Robert Tucci** » Wed Apr 11, 2018 4:18 am

In regard to the "B & S" Model 3100G F-tuba, this is the PT-12G, six-rotary valve instrument in full gold brass. "Fanny" is a nickname Andreas Martin Hofmeir applied to his instrument. Andreas is a wonderful artist, one of our amazing 21st Century tubists, a great and versatile entertainer and a successful teacher.

In regard to manufactured quality at "B & S", this is very high. Since my initial cooperation with this company in 1981, we have sold hundreds of BBb, CC and F-tubas through my shop here in Munich. Defects as such have been very, very few: the instruments are well-built and given normal care, provide good service for decades.

Going back to 1989-90, Gerhard Meinl worked long and hard to reorganize former GDR resources centered around "B & S" in Markneukirchen and Klingenthal into one of the finest brass wind instrument facilites in the world. Note that Wenzel-Meinl / Meinl-Weston, Besson compensated Euphoniums and tubas and Courtois trombones are also manufactured in the combined facilities in Markneukirchen and Geretsried (Wenzel-Meinl).

In cooperation with Andreas Hofmeir we developed a mouthpiece which he nicknamed "Paul". Like the B & S" PT-12G "Fanny", this is also quite successful.

Bob Tucci

GC · Post by GC » Wed Apr 11, 2018 1:52 pm

And, for that matter, in Markneukirchen?

Ken Crawford · Post by **Ken Crawford** » Wed Apr 11, 2018 2:19 pm

I love the German language as much as the next kerl, but how about some English untertitel at least?

bort · Post by **bort** » Wed Apr 11, 2018 3:27 pm

I love watching these great instruments get built. The level of skill involved, hands-on work, and extreme detail... this is why new tubas cost -- and should cost -- a LOT of money.

joh_tuba · Post by **joh_tuba** » Wed Apr 11, 2018 8:51 pm

There is *ONE* very obvious manufacturing change that has happened in the last decade to all the B&S rotary tubas and is visible several times in the video linked above:
It used to be that the 3rd and 4th valve loops were bent out of one long tube to the slide. Presumably to cut costs, they now all feature a ferrule after the intitial bend out of the valve cluster.

ALSO, my 90s era B&S tuba both feature hand hammered bottom bows. You can see the hammer marks from the inside. I suspect this is also a feature that has been removed in the last decade.

Current production horns *might* be no better or worse in how they play and they may very well be 'preserving old world methods' in the sense that it's still more cost effective to make many parts starting from sheet brass. However, they most certainly have changed production methods over time.

P@rick · Post by **P@rick** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 2:52 pm

bloke wrote:How many total workers are there, now, in the Geretsried facility?

200 and they make between 1000 to 1200 tubas per year.

joh_tuba · Post by **joh_tuba** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 6:38 pm

bloke wrote: My B&S F tuba, past the main slide: only three pieces
- upper bow (includes dogleg with no solder joint)
- lower bow
- bell

How many separate parts today:
three, or four...??

In the video at 4:13 an F tuba is visible. It has three parts witht the dogleg a contiguous part of the upper bow.

pjv · Post by **pjv** » Sun Apr 15, 2018 7:08 am

An entire gold brass tuba really seems to be quite popular. Alexander, B&S, Melton, Miraphone; they're all offering this an exclusive "want to have".

I can't imagine why. At it's best I sound nice when playing alone and work my aXX off when playing with others.
At it's worst it feels like it deadens the tuba. As if the horn sucks the life out of you. I've been trying out a lot of tuba's recently because I'm looking for a new tuba and literally every time I've played on an all gold/red brass tuba they've been the lesser horn.

Or is it perfect in most orchestral situations (which I am not involved with)?

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