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Amati Eb Helicon

Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2016 8:44 pm
by Bob Bigalard
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Helikon-Helicon ... SwGotWoO-J" target="_blank

Looks like kind of a good deal...good condition...refurbished...but only 3 valves.

Re: Amati Eb Helicon

Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 2:11 pm
by Donn
They sound pretty good. I had one for a while, Lignatone stencil, 4 valves. It's large for an Eb tuba, and has quite a nice sound.

The problems:

- Ergonomics. I'm rather slender, so I could get into it OK, and my joints are flexible enough that I could work the valves without discomfort - but the previous owner found them very uncomfortable.
- Ergonomics. Note that where a sousaphone is provided with a series of angled bits that make for some flexibility, this thing supports only a sideways rotation of the last section. It isn't that the bits are missing, there'd be no room for them (though with mine the "receiver" was an odd taper as if it indeed were not meant to take a mouthpiece, so I confess my story doesn't completely add up.) Anyway, I was always kind of hunching or twisting to meet the mouthpiece. The current owner is a few inches shorter.
- Pitch. At times it was unmanageable, then at other times I guess I must have improved my act, but like other large Eb tubas it doesn't make life easy for you.
- Location. $130 seems like an absurdly small price for sending a tuba to the US all the way from Poland. Let alone a helicon, which is a much larger package. After I packed my smaller F helicon for its Amtrak voyage, I thought I might have to take the front door off its hinges to get it out.

Re: Amati Eb Helicon

Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 4:15 pm
by sousaphone68
I bought an unrestored one from them last year.
Great fun but as mentioned above very uncomfortable after a very short time.
They have shipping down to fine art.
I would buy from them again and their website also has custom helicon gig bags.