Sold: Mack Brass 410 CC - $2100

[JaxBen_20J]

Hello!

As the topic says, I have decided to sell my Mack Brass 410 CC tuba. This is the gold brass bell model, and I am the original owner. Purchased in 2016, I used this horn to get back into playing after being away from music for thirteen years. It has been a phenomenal instrument and absolutely babied over the years. In all this time the only “repair” has been getting the lead pipe resoldered to the main branch. All cleanings and maintenance have been done by Rich Ita at the Brass Instrument Workshop in Marietta, GA, and by Kevin Bowen at North Georgia Horn Works in Kennesaw, GA. It has been played regularly in the Georgia Wind Symphony, AP Winds, and the Red Top Brass Quintet, all in northwest Atlanta.

Lacquer is between 90-95%. There’s a small spot where the right hand rests that has been rubbed away, and a larger patch on the interior branch below the main branch where I usually hold the horn with my non-valve hand. Also my mutant chemical fingers ate through a little of the nickel coating on the valve paddles, particularly 1st valve. This is all purely cosmetic. There are, of course, minor scratches here and there from the wedding ring or the buttons on a suit/tux jacket, and one slightly more noticeable scratch about an inch long on the bell where physics and a door handle met and the door handle won, but again, cosmetic and not noticeable unless you’re looking for it.

There are no significant dents anywhere on the horn. With the gold brass bell, it has a beautiful warm tone, and it carries clearly through an ensemble of pretty much any size. I have used it primarily with PT-50/RT-50 for the last several years, and it can really create a presence in the low end like a rich subwoofer. Of course you can overdrive it to get that classic bark if the context calls for it. The valves are all fast and about as quiet as this style of rotor can be expected to be, especially when well oiled on the linkages. The slides all move as they should, but I’m not much of a slide puller. Intonation tendencies are exactly as expected - most everything is well in tune or close enough that you don’t really have to “lip it” hard into place. The exception being the Eb and E in the staff, which are just way better with 2/3 and 1/2 respectively (if held out for longer tones; quick technical passages for me were just usually played 2 and open without issue).

If you’ve played one of these, or their German inspiration, you know that the third valve slide is awful to reach. I had Rich Ita add a custom pull ring to the third valve slide and it made a HUGE difference for accessing that slide.

I am including a Pro-Tec Platinum gig bag as well as the original foam case, which is fine on the inside but the fabric on the outside looks a little ragged from kitty claws in the early days of ownership.

This is a great horn and holds a lot of meaning for me as the instrument that got me back into playing after such a long time off. Bringing music back into my life has been a source of constant joy for the last almost decade now, but it’s time to let it go as I just acquired a new horn of a completely different style. This one would be fantastic for anyone who just wants a good, affordable horn that has been well-kept and well-maintained.

Located in Kennesaw, GA (metro ATL) and would vastly prefer local pickup. If you have any additional questions you can post here, DM me, or email me at underwoodb@gmail.com for additional information. I will, of course, entertain reasonable offers but please keep them reasonable!

Pictures at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... AJNc35SC8R

Thanks for your interest!
Ben