Buescher Tuba: What The...!?

[SousaWarrior9]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-BUESCHE ... 4d208dcfa3" target="_blank
Looks like an Eb
I've never seen anything like this before...anyone seen a tuba with that valve wrap like this?

[Jose the tuba player]

damn beat me to it....
and how odd that the leadpipe goes into the third valve.
and how can you tell it's an Eb?

[SousaWarrior9]

and how can you tell it's an Eb?

Just a guess. The overall smallishness of the horn, plus the valve slides don't look long enough to be BBb and 3/4 BBb tubas usually have several inner bows winding around, whereas this one only has one loop before hitting the main slide.

I've never seen this in any Buescher catalogs I'be seen and I couldn't find it on horn-u-copia either. A prototype, Maybe? The only thing I've seen that's even remotely close to this tuba is this: http://thevillagetinker.com/Misc%20stuff.htm" target="_blank" target="_blank (scroll about halfway down the page) But even then the actual piping of the valves is totally different and on the other side of the horn.

Definitely strange...I kinda want it

[Jose the tuba player]

and how can you tell it's an Eb?

Just a guess. The overall smallishness of the horn, plus the valve slides don't look long enough to be BBb and 3/4 BBb tubas usually have several inner bows winding around, whereas this one only has one loop before hitting the main slide.

I've never seen this in any Buescher catalogs I'be seen and I couldn't find it on horn-u-copia either. A prototype, Maybe? The only thing I've seen that's even remotely close to this tuba is this: http://thevillagetinker.com/Misc%20stuff.htm" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank (scroll about halfway down the page) But even then the actual piping of the valves is totally different and on the other side of the horn.

Definitely strange...I kinda want it

i was thinking about picking this up too but im an Bb guy.
if you do get it let us know what key its in.
and is thing some sort of compensating tuba because this looks odd http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDAwWDYwMw==/ ... 4/$_12.JPG" target="_blank

[Jose the tuba player]

according to a fellow tubenetter

it IS the first tuba version I've seen, But I have seen a few baritones and cornets with similar design. This Was Buescher's attempt to revolutionize the way air traveled through the horn.

It is called an "Epoch Model". It was designed to lessen the amount of sharp turns that air flowed through, to create a more open and responsive Horn.

and i also found this older post with examples
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=37588&hilit=buescher+euphonium" target="_blank"

[Heliconer]

This is the first tuba version I've seen, But I have seen a few baritones and cornets with similar design. This Was Buescher's attempt to revolutionize the way air traveled through the horn.

It is called an "Epoch Model". It was designed to lessen the amount of sharp turns that air flowed through, to create a more open and responsive Horn.

They made LOTS of cornets like this, and apparently went all the way to Tubas. Definitely in Eb.

[Jose the tuba player]

Definitely in Eb.

damn it!

[sugawi]

I asked about serial #, here is his response:
"1198 ON SECOND VALVE 3 ON THE THIRD VALVE."
According to charts this one was made between 1894 and 1904, this range is for serial numbers between 1 and 2499.

[windshieldbug]

I asked about serial #, here is his response:
"1198 ON SECOND VALVE 3 ON THE THIRD VALVE."
According to charts this one was made between 1894 and 1904, this range is for serial numbers between 1 and 2499.

This exact model (Eb) appears on the inside front cover of a 1901 copy of the Buescher True Tone Magazine [No. 3] that I have.
The "Epoch" valve was patented Mar 19, 1901.
[670365] https://patentimages.storage.googleapis ... 0365-1.png
It turned out that they played no easier than traditional contemporary valves.
The last pre-5000 (1904) serial number that I've recorded is 3720, and I've got 26 so far.
They apparently started over at 5000 after the 1904 fire.



... So I would say that number 1198 likely falls somewhere in 1901-1902.

[sugawi]

Seller looked again and corrected serial #, it is 1193.

There's not much pre 1903 fire data left, this could be a good reference for production years.

[bisontuba]

I asked about serial #, here is his response:
"1198 ON SECOND VALVE 3 ON THE THIRD VALVE."
According to charts this one was made between 1894 and 1904, this range is for serial numbers between 1 and 2499.

This exact model (Eb) appears on the inside front cover of a 1901 copy of the Buescher True Tone Magazine [No. 3] that I have.
The "Epoch" valve was patented Mar 19, 1901.
[670365] https://patentimages.storage.googleapis ... 0365-1.png
It turned out that they played no easier than traditional contemporary valves.
The last pre-5000 (1904) serial number that I've recorded is 3720, and I've got 26 so far.
They apparently started over at 5000 after the 1904 fire.



... So I would say that number 1198 likely falls somewhere in 1901-1902.

Hi-
Scan a copy of that inside front cover to show us - if possible...
Mark

[windshieldbug]

Hi-
Scan a copy of that inside front cover to show us - if possible...
Mark

It's quite fragile (as you can imagine) and the cover is black printing on dark green paper, but I'll see what I can do...

[bisontuba]

Hi-
A great app is TurboScan--I use it on my iPhone to 'scan' music, etc.--really amazing and nothing touches the paper.
Good luck!
Mark

[windshieldbug]

See if this works...

https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?cid ... pp=WordPdf

[bisontuba]

Awesome -- great info-many thanks !!
Mark