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Does anyone have experience of tubas that come to bits like bassoons, saxes etc. to aid transport?

I saw one with a bell which had two detachable sections. These fitted one into the larger, like mixing bowls. They, in turn, matched the gaps in the tuba's upper body fitting within the upper bow in a neat suitcase BUT the heavy receptor rings and bulky reinforcement made the bell very ugly.

I have a French horn with a screw fitted bell that looks great - no lumpy rings etc. Its case is a slim neat box. Is it feasible to make a tuba bell in three parts but with invisible joints? Why can't all the extra-support metal rings and screws, if nec, be on the inside of the bell?

Also, why not go further (a la Courtois of ancient memory) and have detachable upper bows, mouthpipes, valves sections, sections of tubing.

Yes, the question is would all that be worth the advantage of having a slim case. But for a more generous sized 'travel tuba' it may be. You could have a reasonable size instrument in a compact case.

I can see it now... a tuba which can be fully disassembled and put back together again like Legos. All the parts fit into a large briefcase. Suddenly, tubas start cropping up like dandelions at your local IKEA. Everyone dreads putting the whole tuba together, only to realize the last ferrule is missing.

Oystein Baadsvik plays a Miraphone Starlight Eb tuba where he had them make a detachable screw bell ( like a screw bell french horn) so that he can put the whole tuba in a suitcase. I think he did that mainly for flight purposes.

Mock not, oh kingbasstrombone, just look at the shiny silver and gold finish plastic tubas on ebay. Soon, they will come in kits with glue.

These have a terrible reputation, if you ask dealers. Anyone blown a good one?? You can probably answer anonymously. Wonder when the F and Eb and CC versions will come out.

Probably worth trying to fix an entire good metal valve section on one. The point where brass meets plastic could simply be a tight slide n' turn arrangement like on every trombone.

Hold on, there are lots of black mercedes drawing up outside my hide-out with guys with machine guns and machetes. The manufacturers' mafia. Help.

KingBassTrombone wrote:I can see it now... a tuba which can be fully disassembled and put back together again like Legos. All the parts fit into a large briefcase. Suddenly, tubas start cropping up like dandelions at your local IKEA. Everyone dreads putting the whole tuba together, only to realize the last ferrule is missing.

Sounds a bit like my 186 and Martin Eb are at the moment.