OH baby!

Sell and Buy equipment via Ebay and Craigslist
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This is for posting links to off site deals that you are not personally selling,but wanting to pass along good deals
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Tubadork
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OH baby!

Post by Tubadork »

wow,
this looks like fun.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 64813&rd=1
anyone know anything about this horn?
Bill Pritchard
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PhilipJ
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Post by PhilipJ »

I "bought" this tuba when it first came up on Ebay 3 or 4 years ago; that is, I clicked "Buy It Now" (at $1400!), then looked more closely at the pictures and began to suspect it had been cut to CC (the key was not specified in the auction). My suspicion was confirmed, so I backed out and let someone else buy it. Wonder how many have owned it since....
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MartyNeilan
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Post by MartyNeilan »

Does anyone know what happenned to that Martin (BBb, 1 piece bell, front action pistons) that sold for around 8 THOUSAND dollars on EBay a couple of years ago?
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cjk
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Post by cjk »

The last bid is likely the one that counts. Intermediate bids (regardless of whether they are made by an uber-collector or not) are a waste of time.

Furthermore, I don't understand why this tuba is collectable.

It's a big *** Martin (with lots of dents) cut to CC with no room for an in-line 5th valve. If those are the original valves, the bore on those was like .710. It could have wonderful intonation or the scale of an Alex. Has anybody actually played it?


Christian, who obviously doesn't get it
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Matt G
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Post by Matt G »

FWIW, anything that has "Labor of love" in the description maybe something to shy away from.

Also, the bell looks to be "trimmed". I thought most Martin upright bells were at least 22-24" in diameter on this big horns. From the one picture, the bell doesn't appear to have as much "pancake" as most Martin 6/4 tubas do. It looks to be a well done job, but I always wonder how this effects the sound or intonation, even this last little bit, as it does tinker with the point of reflection. Trimming a bell on any horn would potentially limit its value, I imagine.

This horn is a work in progress and should be approached as such. If a collector wants to buy it and finish the job, then so be it.

It looks like any bidder will have to put at least another $1500 into it. I'm thinking just a valve job, some slide alignment, moving a few braces, 5th valve fabrication, and a go-over with a dent magnet will fetch this much. Figure $3-4K to get it into "new" or "like-new" condition.

I only hope the intonation was as good as it was in BBb. Martins played well in tune for the most part. I have my fingers crossed for the winner.
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Mitch
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Martin bells

Post by Mitch »

It would be good to find out/discuss more factual information on Martin bells, with regard to bell diameter.

I have a 1960 Martin BBb BAT with a 20" one-piece bell and no reason to believe it was trimmed in any way.

I think it's reasonable to state that the bell on the horn in question may be, and is likely, original. The serial number on the eBay Martin is post-1960. Martin may have made larger upright bells at one point in time, but it's more likely the bell is in its original form.

It's a delicate thing to devalue an object (or anything/one) based solely on conjecture. Should I decide to sell mine, I would hate to think no one would want it because they regarded a 20" bell a modified detriment.

FWIW, my experience with BAT Martins is that their later upright bells tend to run 20", and their -recording- bells are in the 22-24" range.
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Lew
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Re: Martin bells

Post by Lew »

Mitch wrote: ... FWIW, my experience with BAT Martins is that their later upright bells tend to run 20", and their -recording- bells are in the 22-24" range.
I too have seen Martins with original fixed upright 20" bells. My Martin recording bell is 24", but I have seen Martin recording bells as large as 30" in diameter. There was one on ebay a couple of years ago that they showed resting on the 30" recording bell, and the bell was so large that it held up a BAT body without tipping over.
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MartyNeilan
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Post by MartyNeilan »

If I hadn's just purchased a different flavor beast...

"I coulda been a contender"
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