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I posted here awhile back asking everyone's thoughts about such a project, and I thought I'd start a new thread now that I've gathered all the necessary parts. First off, I want to thank J.c. Sherman for agreeing to assemble this monster for me! Instead of the Olds GG contra I was initially going to use, I opted to use a Yamaha YBB-321 as the body instead. It is MUCH larger, and the wrap is open with a nice gentle taper. The valve section is going to be replaced with a 3 valve .745" bore York top action valve set. Also, I'd like to thank Lee Stofer for selling me the Yamaha body and the York valves. He saved me from a lot of looking. I WAS set on front action valves because of ergonomics. I've never liked the 321's because the valves are so high, but since we're adding tubing and taking out the original valve section, we're planning on lowering the valve section while we're at it. Also, using a top action set makes the build easier and allowed for a nice taper. With the larger valve set, we can use a much longer leadpipe with a gentle taper into the first valve. That will give us more length to put it into FFF. Between the extra length in the leadpipe and an extra half wrap after the valves, we should have the bugle at the right pitch! Assuming the bugle is good, we will proceed to lengthen the slides. Assuming there are no unforeseen complications, the tuba should be done in time for Tubachristmas! I'll keep everyone updated!

Ambitious project! I can't wait to see it!

It is most definitely ambitious, but I had collected all these incomplete tubas for next to nothing and I wanted to do something with them. My first thought was to throw the valve section and body together to make a little BBb horn, but I already have a nice 3 valve BBb tuba. I kept running through easy builds, and they either didn't interest me or I already owned something that did what the project horn would do. At that point I decided to try making something abominable! Worst case scenario, I can take out the added tubing and make a little BBb horn. After looking at pictures of other subcontrabass tubas in FFF and EEEb, I noticed most of them had an awkward amount of cylindrical tubing at some point in the bugle, which everyone knows can really mess up a good horn. With the parts I found, Lee Stofer's advice, and J.c.'s craftsmanship, I think we may be able to make a usable horn, or at least something that plays as well as the average Tubachristmas horn

I saw it mainly in the Amati horns. The Werils weren't good players, right? I can't remember if someone commented on them. The only thing I remember being off about your EEb tuba was the stuffy 4th valve. That's why I opted for only 3.

The instrument is nearing completion! It'll be close, but it MAY be done for Cleveland Tubachristmas. I'll get pictures up as soon as possible.

The prototype is together! J.c. and I got to toot a few notes on the bugle, and boy does this look promising! The horn is still a little short, so we're adding a short tuning slide between the leadpipe and the valve section to bring it down to pitch. The horn should be fully braced and cleaned up by Cleveland Tubachristmas this Sunday!

Very cool! I love to see projects work out!

So it's "open" note is the F four ledger lines below the staff?

the elephant wrote:Yes. It is about 24' to 24.5' long in the open horn, one octave below an F tuba. It is a P4 below a BBb tuba and a P5 below a CC tuba. It is a M2 lower than an old school contrabass bugle in GG.

Very interesting....(stroking chin...)

Kiltie, I will be taking better pictures tomorrow at Tubachristmas. If you shoot me your email, I can send higher quality photos than tubenet will allow me to upload.

Playing a GG contra is what gave me the initial idea to try building this. I figured if they could be made in G, F wasn't THAT much lower.

So... how was tuba christmas?!

Tubachristmas was great! I've been using the horn in my little community band to get a better feel for it in relation to an ensemble. I'm still experimenting with where exactly I want the slides. I'm almost used to the resistance in the 3rd valve, but Ab and Db are still a bear!