HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUBA WEIGH?

The bulk of the musical talk
Mike C855B
bugler
bugler
Posts: 100
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2018 4:23 pm

Re: HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUBA WEIGH?

Post by Mike C855B »

greenbean wrote:... Am I right in thinking these are ballpark estimates? And that you never actually used a scale?...
Circumstances can distort perception. If you had asked me right after the one time ...thankfully... I had the "opportunity" to march in the Rose Parade, I would have told you my Conn sousaphone came in at, oh, 600, maybe 700 pounds. :P
Miraphone 191 4-valve
1925 Conn 28J
Cerveny CEP 531-4M
Fox 880 "Sayen" (oops... that's an oboe) ;)
User avatar
bort
6 valves
6 valves
Posts: 11222
Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2004 11:08 pm
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Re: HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUBA WEIGH?

Post by bort »

Bill Troiano wrote:I asked Sam Gnagey to make me one of his CC tubas, but with only 4 valves. I received it via UPS yesterday. It plays great. I'm thinking of using it as a jazz tuba when I don't want to lug my sousaphone around. It has a 19.5 in York bell and bottom bow with the King 2341 valve set. I also asked Sam to install 2 strap hooks, as I plan to stand with it a lot.

Anyway it weighs 20.6 lbs.
C'mon Bill, we need a picture!
Bill Troiano
5 valves
5 valves
Posts: 1132
Joined: Thu Mar 18, 2004 11:08 pm
Location: Cedar Park, TX

Re: HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUBA WEIGH?

Post by Bill Troiano »

Here's a picture of the tuba from Sam's shop before he shipped it to me. I'll clean it up a little. I might even paint the main body, but not the bell.

Image
User avatar
dmmorris
3 valves
3 valves
Posts: 426
Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2004 9:05 am
Location: From far away as Jupiter sulfur mines, way down by the methane sea.

Re: HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUBA WEIGH?

Post by dmmorris »

My B&S, BBb, 6-banger: 23.2lb
beta 14??..........OK!

Mid 70's B&S Tuba
toobagrowl
5 valves
5 valves
Posts: 1525
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2010 3:12 pm
Location: USA

Re: HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUBA WEIGH?

Post by toobagrowl »

Finally got around to weighing a couple sousas......

-- An old beat-up Elkhart Conn 14K sousaphone that someone gifted to me. It needs a lot of work: 21.5 lbs (no neck/bits)
I hope to ressurect this sousaphone and hopefully make it playable again.


-- My old Selmer Signet sousaphone (complete): 17.5 lbs. When I bought this sousaphone years ago, it also needed parts and a little TLC. The valveset itself is HEAVY, made of thick brass and bracing. I noticed this when I took it apart to clean it years ago. This sousaphone looks and plays much better than when I first got it :tuba:

IceePirate wrote:Maybe I was getting the model wrong then, it was a king sousa though. And I did weigh it, it came to around 55lbs.
Maybe a King 'Jumbo' :?:
dmmorris wrote:My B&S, BBb, 6-banger: 23.2lb
Probably a custom-order tuba :!: How does it play?
greenbean
Superfine Cases
Superfine Cases
Posts: 315
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 12:01 am
Location: San Francisco

Re: HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUBA WEIGH?

Post by greenbean »

I am reviving and adding more data points to this WEIGHT thread. I don't think this thread will ever be out-of-date. Since we are all just getting older...

Mirafone 186 BBb (1967): 18.0
Mirafone 186 BBb (1974): 18.75
Miraphone 182 BBb (1997): 19.25

I will have a few more next week.
-----
Tom Rice
http://www.superfinecases.com
Mirafone 184 BBb
B&M Marzan BBb
1974 Besson Eb
bone-a-phone
bugler
bugler
Posts: 171
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2017 10:02 am

Re: HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUBA WEIGH?

Post by bone-a-phone »

I have a Wunderlich 4/4 4valve ~18" bell that weighs 17 lbs. It has been refinished at least once. I can only track it back to 1966, but it's probably a pre-war horn. I replaced the S links with minibals, which lightened it up some more.
User avatar
oleirgens
bugler
bugler
Posts: 58
Joined: Thu Nov 15, 2012 7:28 am

Re: HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUBA WEIGH?

Post by oleirgens »

26 lbs for my John Packer JP379CC Sterling C Tuba.
--
Ole Irgens
JP379CC Sterling
Besson Sovereign Eb
Principal tuba, Alvøen Concert Band
Eb tuba, Laksevåg Brass Band
Bergen, Norway
ScottM
bugler
bugler
Posts: 230
Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 6:31 pm
Location: I'd prefer a trout stream

Re: HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUBA WEIGH?

Post by ScottM »

Thanks for this thread as it prompted me to go weigh the horns
B&S 4197 24#
Mirafone 184-5U 17#
Both are five valve horns. The Mirafone is from 1974. The B&S is about 6 years old.
Scott M
toobagrowl
5 valves
5 valves
Posts: 1525
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2010 3:12 pm
Location: USA

Re: HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUBA WEIGH?

Post by toobagrowl »

- I 'finished' resurrecting my old Conn 14k this year. It has all parts, and had dent work and solder work done, and lacquer/clear-coating over the old spotty original lacquer. Its a great player :tuba: Still under 22 lbs for the complete sousa, which is light for a standard 4/4 BBb brass sousa.

- Couple weeks ago, I serviced an Amati ABB-321 BBb. It's a small 7/8 ish size BBb tuba with 4 top-action pistons. It only weighed about 13 lbs :shock:

- My no-name (thought to be B&F, but who knows) Kaiser BBb. It is a very large 5/4+ or 6/4 BBb tuba at 42" tall, with a wide-throated 20" bell. The bell has a very "Yorkbrunner" taper/profile to it. 4 rotors. Valve bore is .850" --- Only 18 lbs.
greenbean
Superfine Cases
Superfine Cases
Posts: 315
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 12:01 am
Location: San Francisco

Re: HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUBA WEIGH?

Post by greenbean »

Anyone know the weight of a 20K?...
-----
Tom Rice
http://www.superfinecases.com
Mirafone 184 BBb
B&M Marzan BBb
1974 Besson Eb
greenbean
Superfine Cases
Superfine Cases
Posts: 315
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 12:01 am
Location: San Francisco

Re: HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUBA WEIGH?

Post by greenbean »

bloke wrote: ...
real answer:
:arrow: It totally depends on when/where it was manufactured.
Okay, how about mid- to late-1950s? And current ones? Thanks.
-----
Tom Rice
http://www.superfinecases.com
Mirafone 184 BBb
B&M Marzan BBb
1974 Besson Eb
peterbas
bugler
bugler
Posts: 192
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2006 9:54 am
Location: Belgium

Re: HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUBA WEIGH?

Post by peterbas »

Deleted
Last edited by peterbas on Fri Mar 17, 2023 4:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
peterbas
bugler
bugler
Posts: 192
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2006 9:54 am
Location: Belgium

Re: HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUBA WEIGH?

Post by peterbas »

Deleted
Last edited by peterbas on Fri Mar 17, 2023 3:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
anotherjtm2
3 valves
3 valves
Posts: 270
Joined: Sun Mar 17, 2019 1:18 pm
Location: Austin, Texas

Re: HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUBA WEIGH?

Post by anotherjtm2 »

My 1965 Mirafone 186 BBb 4V with removable Yamaha YBB-201 bell (thanks, Dan Schultz) weighs 21.5 pounds. The bell connection must add some weight, but maybe my scale is off, too, since that seems a lot compared to the 18 lb 1967 186 that greenbean weighed.
John Morris
- 1960s CC Scherzer/Sander
User avatar
MusicSmiths
bugler
bugler
Posts: 31
Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2016 1:16 pm
Location: Round Rock, Texas

Re: HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUBA WEIGH?

Post by MusicSmiths »

Wessex Grand - 5 valve - lacquer - 30.4 lbs.
David Smith
Wessex BBb Grand (5 valve)
Wessex Festivo
User avatar
anotherjtm2
3 valves
3 valves
Posts: 270
Joined: Sun Mar 17, 2019 1:18 pm
Location: Austin, Texas

Re: HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUBA WEIGH?

Post by anotherjtm2 »

Nearly forgot: the same 1965 Mirafone 186 BBb 4V with it's original recording bell weighs 22.4 lbs.
That's with the normal tuning slide (of course). The upright bell gets a longer tuning slide.
John Morris
- 1960s CC Scherzer/Sander
ccflyerguy
lurker
lurker
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun May 20, 2018 5:36 pm

Re: HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUBA WEIGH?

Post by ccflyerguy »

Dalyan Apollo CC 4/4, four valve: 21 pounds. John
User avatar
anotherjtm2
3 valves
3 valves
Posts: 270
Joined: Sun Mar 17, 2019 1:18 pm
Location: Austin, Texas

Re: HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUBA WEIGH?

Post by anotherjtm2 »

B&S "Musica" tall 4/4 CC 5v: 21.6 lbs
John Morris
- 1960s CC Scherzer/Sander
User avatar
MaryAnn
Occasionally Visiting Pipsqueak
Occasionally Visiting Pipsqueak
Posts: 3217
Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2004 9:58 am

Re: HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUBA WEIGH?

Post by MaryAnn »

I dearly loved my NStar, but its weight came through as "too much for me now."
I admit if that little Mack Brass F really weighs as little as I read it does, I may have a tuba again soon if it plays like a tuba.

Edit: is this the same instrument as the Bubbie? And I could not find it on the MB web site.
Post Reply