tuba ID

Cowgo · Post by **Cowgo** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 10:04 pm

I'm not sure how to break this to my wife, but I just purchased this horn. Any idea who the manufacturer is and what key?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 7345421316

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 11:25 pm

It's an Eb, but the manufacturer is hard to make out from the single rather blurry view. From the receiver brace, it might be an import. Could also be an old Pan American.

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 11:48 pm

bloke wrote: I might take a wild guess that its something made around the turn of the century in the northeastern U.S. (Boston?...Rhode Island?...)

Pennsylvania? I dunno--you've got better eyes than I do.

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 12:02 am

I saw that one and thought about bidding on it just for parts. It's an Eb for certain... probably a Conn stencil. You gonna bring it along this weekend, too?

Cowgo · Post by **Cowgo** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 7:49 am

TubaTinker wrote:I saw that one and thought about bidding on it just for parts. It's an Eb for certain... probably a Conn stencil. You gonna bring it along this weekend, too?

I won't have it for this weekend. I think it's a long DIY "trial and error learning" project. I do have an ex-navy horn, a 4V Holton Euph though....we'll talk...

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 10:01 am

LV wrote:Buttons, caps, and receiver brace don't say "Conn" to me...

Yeah... I think you're probably right. The receiver brace looks like something Amati could have done. Hard telling without a good picture.

Cowgo · Post by **Cowgo** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 10:51 pm

I finally got the horn today. Unless it, or my piano, are way off kilter, it's a 3/4 BBb.

After rubbing on it for an hour and risking Brasso poisoning, I can say that it is a Carl Fischer "New York Professional" horn. The serial number is 18255, but I can't locate any Fischer SN lists online. The leadpipe recieiver is small. It won't take a normal tuba MP. I have a very small B&H MP that's way too small for my Miraphone, but on this horn will only go in about a 1/8 of an inch. My euph MP's are too small.

I'm going to try a suggestion from an earlier posting on the subject and wash the horn down with diluted masonry cleaning acid this weekend to remove the massive amount of tarnish. I'll post some before and after pics if it works.

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 1:07 am

Doesn't hardly look like it could be a BBb, from the tuning slides.

Carl Fischer didn't make their own horns, but stenciled extensively. I've seen Conn-made Fischers and some French-made ones.

Got some dimensions?

Cowgo · Post by **Cowgo** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:24 pm

bloke wrote:o' course, you can play an "open" Bb on an Eb tuba...

Bloke is, of course, right, and correctly diagnosed my dumbassitis...it is indeed an E flat dinged up unworkable third valve horn, that's worth a little less than the 60 bucks I paid for it. I'll still have some fun toying around and trying to get it into a playing condition.

I got rid of the tarnish with a liberal application of Limeaway and extremely fine steel wool. It's now a lovely salmon color, although a little brasso worked wonders around the logo.

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 11:13 pm

I tried to do a little research on Carl Fischer last evening and all I could find was info about his publishing company. Did he actually have a factory where he built his horns or were all of his horns stencils?

Cowgo · Post by **Cowgo** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 11:43 pm

I had read that the Carl Fischer company bought out York in 1940.