Neat looking 1893 Cerveny

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 3:58 pm

Can you make out the address of Vitak on that name plate? 1893 is the date of the design but the actual date of manufacture could be between 1907 and 1923 if the address is on Gross Avenue in Chicago.

I had this one in the shop a couple of months ago that had the 1893 date on the badge that was sold by Vitak on Gross Avenue. Here:
http://thevillagetinker.com/Misc%20stuff.htm

Alex C · Post by **Alex C** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 8:54 pm

I have one, I'll go drag it out of storage and look at the plate.

I have found a picture of my horn in an Illinois town band dated 1914. Pretty sure the horn came from the same general area as the picture so... that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Alex C · Post by **Alex C** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 8:21 am

Some earlier owner added an extension for the main tuning slide to bring it into pitch. It is either a sharp Eb tuba or a flat E tuba. I have hopes of one day updating mine to be reliably playable for gigs.

The rotors are handmade, not machined. I counted seven pieces to each rotor: top plate, bottom plate, two inside tubes, two side halves and the center post. All soldered together. At least they are hollow and light.

The rotor alignment is impossible. They are all top loading rotors and there's no bottom plate to remove for checking alignment. The corks and stops are not located on the casing but, rather, are attached to the lever and kind of "float" making alignment doubly hard.

To really make it playable, you would have to replace the old rotors with new ones.

It makes a wonderful sound but push a valve and it's wobble time.

Alex C · Post by **Alex C** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 5:26 pm

the elephant wrote:Sounds like an interesting candidate for a thorough Oberloh-ing! ...

...It would be nice to see one of these in (better than) new condition in order to really test it out. It would be a sort of tuba time machine. (I love spending the $$$ of others, heh heh, heh . . . )

I've thought about it but as you posed, would it be worth the money? It's a tough call and, frankly, I love my Yamaha. After selling my previous one, I swore I'd never get rid of another.

Alex C · Post by **Alex C** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 5:28 pm

harold wrote:Yeah, I've got one of these and it is currently working it's way through Dan's shop. He is going to rebuild the valves and replace the bell since the rim is torn in a few different places.

It is a 6/4 and is dated by serial number to 1903. We should have photos to show off in a few months.

I wanna see photos now! Whaaaa!!!

Alex C · Post by **Alex C** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 10:23 pm

The one I sold you.

I bought another lacquered 621 a couple of years later and sold it when I found a silver 621. But I don't intend to be without a 621 ever again. If I had to play F in a major orchestra, I'd get a bigger horn but it fits what I do now very well.

Alex C · Post by **Alex C** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 2:57 pm

TubaTinker wrote:Can you make out the address of Vitak on that name plate? 1893 is the date of the design but the actual date of manufacture could be between 1907 and 1923 if the address is on Gross Avenue in Chicago.

I had this one in the shop a couple of months ago that had the 1893 date on the badge that was sold by Vitak on Gross Avenue. Here:
http://thevillagetinker.com/Misc%20stuff.htm

I just checked the badge on my EEb, it lists Vitak and Sons at 204 Wabash St.

If I'm not mistaken, the University of Wisconsin had two of the particular model you posted in silverplate, at one time. A friend of mine was the grad assistant tuba teacher there and when I visited he showed me the horns. They were interesting but unexceptional players.

He was interested in them because he played an 1900's vintage Cerveny BBb. It was an outstanding instrument, used for years in Hollywood sound stages, the last was reportedly "Ben Hur." His bell was more along the saxhorn design, the horn in your link has a distinctly unEuropean look to the bell to me.