Miraphone F Tuba - 6 valves, raw brass, late 80s - $5600
Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2021 3:19 pm
Hi, I'm selling my F tuba.
The guy I bought this horn from said it was made for Mel Culbertson while he was in France, before he decided to go with B&S, and that a number of his students played it, before one of them bought it off of him and took it to Florida. I emailed Miraphone with photos to ask them about it, and they could just tell me that the model number is 81C and it was manufactured between 85-92. It has all inner-outer slides and is finished in raw brass, and I've never seen one exactly like it, so take that for what you will. It had a dent on the bottom bow guard, but it's been professionally repaired.
Playing-wise, this horn is super flexible and has a great sound. Really good if you like to play expressively, maybe not for you if you need your F to be super plug&play. Pitch is pretty good with a couple alternate fingerings, low range is big but takes some TLC, I've played rotary Fs with both easier and harder low ranges.
Overall, if you like German F tubas and want one that sounds great and that you can dig into, this is the horn for you. It's served me great through a Bachelor's degree, I just don't need it now that my senior recital is done.
Bag: This is a Messina bag I custom-ordered a couple years ago because the horn is a little taller than a Miraphone bag can fit. Cool retro color, fits great, used it every day for a couple years with only minimal wear.
Case: This is an old J Winter case with a bunch of stickers, but the middle handle and wheels are in bad shape. It's good to have if you need to put the horn under a bus or something, but if you're set on using it every day you should get it fixed or attach it to a dolly or something. However, the plastic shell and interior padding are still great.
Asking $5600
The horn and I are located in Anaheim, CA. I'd prefer to find a local buyer but I'm willing to drive to meet somebody halfway.
Pictures:
https://ibb.co/jZknZGd
https://ibb.co/GJLGgLX
https://ibb.co/2jqn7y3
https://ibb.co/mHLbSd6
https://ibb.co/r43DNT9
https://ibb.co/nDkMYcp
https://ibb.co/hC2NSJF
https://ibb.co/jzcLxyH
https://ibb.co/VTjqJGC
https://ibb.co/x5vWfsj
https://ibb.co/H7fCv9x
https://ibb.co/RggYytC
https://ibb.co/4MgDkRW
https://ibb.co/sv3g1pt
https://ibb.co/VY2Tvgg
https://ibb.co/2ZSvXRn
https://ibb.co/j6rV612
https://ibb.co/bb9nXmS
The guy I bought this horn from said it was made for Mel Culbertson while he was in France, before he decided to go with B&S, and that a number of his students played it, before one of them bought it off of him and took it to Florida. I emailed Miraphone with photos to ask them about it, and they could just tell me that the model number is 81C and it was manufactured between 85-92. It has all inner-outer slides and is finished in raw brass, and I've never seen one exactly like it, so take that for what you will. It had a dent on the bottom bow guard, but it's been professionally repaired.
Playing-wise, this horn is super flexible and has a great sound. Really good if you like to play expressively, maybe not for you if you need your F to be super plug&play. Pitch is pretty good with a couple alternate fingerings, low range is big but takes some TLC, I've played rotary Fs with both easier and harder low ranges.
Overall, if you like German F tubas and want one that sounds great and that you can dig into, this is the horn for you. It's served me great through a Bachelor's degree, I just don't need it now that my senior recital is done.
Bag: This is a Messina bag I custom-ordered a couple years ago because the horn is a little taller than a Miraphone bag can fit. Cool retro color, fits great, used it every day for a couple years with only minimal wear.
Case: This is an old J Winter case with a bunch of stickers, but the middle handle and wheels are in bad shape. It's good to have if you need to put the horn under a bus or something, but if you're set on using it every day you should get it fixed or attach it to a dolly or something. However, the plastic shell and interior padding are still great.
Asking $5600
The horn and I are located in Anaheim, CA. I'd prefer to find a local buyer but I'm willing to drive to meet somebody halfway.
Pictures:
https://ibb.co/jZknZGd
https://ibb.co/GJLGgLX
https://ibb.co/2jqn7y3
https://ibb.co/mHLbSd6
https://ibb.co/r43DNT9
https://ibb.co/nDkMYcp
https://ibb.co/hC2NSJF
https://ibb.co/jzcLxyH
https://ibb.co/VTjqJGC
https://ibb.co/x5vWfsj
https://ibb.co/H7fCv9x
https://ibb.co/RggYytC
https://ibb.co/4MgDkRW
https://ibb.co/sv3g1pt
https://ibb.co/VY2Tvgg
https://ibb.co/2ZSvXRn
https://ibb.co/j6rV612
https://ibb.co/bb9nXmS