Enharmonic Tuba

Sell and Buy equipment via Ebay and Craigslist
Forum rules
This is for posting links to off site deals that you are not personally selling,but wanting to pass along good deals
Post Reply
User avatar
Highams
pro musician
pro musician
Posts: 793
Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2004 3:17 am
Location: Slough, Berkshire, England
Contact:

Enharmonic Tuba

Post by Highams »

Just up on ebay UK is a Besson Enharmonic Tuba, very rare, with two sets of slides, front & back. These were only made in 3 valve form and this is the first one I've seen.
For the Enharmonic system descripion, see my euph on my web page.

Here's the tuba;http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 3743043215

My euph;
www.euph9.freeserve.co.uk/neweuphs.htm
Aspire & Be Inspired !
User avatar
Rick Denney
Resident Genius
Posts: 6650
Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2004 1:18 am
Contact:

Re: Enharmonic Tuba

Post by Rick Denney »

Highams wrote:Just up on ebay UK is a Besson Enharmonic Tuba, very rare, with two sets of slides, front & back. These were only made in 3 valve form and this is the first one I've seen.
I bought one of these for my wife's uncle several years ago. Steve Wells now owns it and I understand he uses it in a period brass band.

I'm sure there is a particular approach to playing them that I did not understand, but I found it horribly stuffy. Going back to the Miraphone (my main horn at the time) after a session with the Besson was always an enormous relief.

As far as the enharmonic valves are concerned, after tracing all the tubing it seemed to me similar to normal compensation, with the third valve being the control valve. It provided a unique valve branch for each combination, except the 2-3 combination which played quite flat. I had always thought enharmonic meant that the bugle was shortened when the valve was depressed, but this one didn't work that way. It did say "Enharmonic" on the engraving, as well as "prototype". The third-valve tubing was made from copper, as I recall. The serial number dated it to the middle-to-late 20's, and it appeared to be unmodified and played low pitch.

Rick "who has seen a couple of these on ebay" Denney
User avatar
Highams
pro musician
pro musician
Posts: 793
Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2004 3:17 am
Location: Slough, Berkshire, England
Contact:

Post by Highams »

Hi Rick,

Yes my Enharmonic euph plays 'stuffy' so I'm not sure the system works 100% but it's a fascinating look at past designs.

www.euph9.freeserve.co.uk
Aspire & Be Inspired !
Post Reply