Sold - Rotary VMI Neptune for Sale in Cleveland
Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2017 7:11 am
Price: $8,000
Brand: VMI
Model: 4098 - Mel Culbertson Neptune
Location: Cleveland, OH
Type of Tuba: 5 valve 6/4 CC tuba
History
I purchased this horn new in early 2001 from Woodwind and Brasswind. I played it daily from early 2001 until 2005 and I only played it sporadically after that point. During the time when I was not playing regularly, I always made sure to take it out a few times a year to oil the valves and make sure the valve slides still moved. Sadly, I don't have any intention of playing seriously again. I would like to get this horn to somebody that can still extract some utility or joy from it.
Condition
I have not made any modifications to the horn and It's in pretty good condition. I was pretty anal about maintaining this horn. The valves were oiled frequently when I was playing daily, and I always made sure to wipe it down when I was done playing for the day. There are no large dents but it does have few shallow dings from normal use. There was a crease in the bell that was repaired. You can still see some evidence of where it was repaired, but only if you are really trying to find it. All repair work was done by Chuck Ward in Chardon, Ohio (fixed sticky valves, chemical cleaning, etc.). The finish is still in good shape. The only place where there is any really obvious signs of wear are the thumb ring and the part of the valve levers that your fingers make contact.
Interesting Features
The leadpipe can be removed. The horn came with 2 leadpipes, but I lost the second leadpipe somewhere over the years. The second leadpipe did not actually fit the horn. The screw holes on the pipe did not line up with the mounting points on the horn. I never actually got to try to the second leadpipe since it would not fit without modification.
The second valve is vented and has a lever for the slide that allows you to adjust intonation on the fly. This came from the factory like this.
The valve levers have a nice engraved flower pattern where your fingers contact them. They also have the nice effect of hiding the fact that the finish is wearing away!
Fifth valve is a long whole step
Case
I'm including the wheeled hard shell case in the price. The case was made for the horn, but to be honest, it's pretty poor quality and has some damage. The main handle that lets you pick the case up off the ground fell apart a couple of years after I got it. I repaired it with hardware store parts to limp it along. There is a second handle on the case you can use to drag it by the wheels. At some point, the case started to crack where the dragging handle is attached. To be clear, I was always very careful with this horn and case, but the case handles pretty much disintegrated from normal use. The case will still keep the horn safe from dings while you are transporting it, but the handles are sketchy at best.
I would prefer to sell this in person since shipping this thing would be pretty expensive and I don’t want to risk damaging it. If you can make the trip to Cleveland, I’ll do my best to accommodate your schedule. If you are interested, send me a PM.
Brand: VMI
Model: 4098 - Mel Culbertson Neptune
Location: Cleveland, OH
Type of Tuba: 5 valve 6/4 CC tuba
History
I purchased this horn new in early 2001 from Woodwind and Brasswind. I played it daily from early 2001 until 2005 and I only played it sporadically after that point. During the time when I was not playing regularly, I always made sure to take it out a few times a year to oil the valves and make sure the valve slides still moved. Sadly, I don't have any intention of playing seriously again. I would like to get this horn to somebody that can still extract some utility or joy from it.
Condition
I have not made any modifications to the horn and It's in pretty good condition. I was pretty anal about maintaining this horn. The valves were oiled frequently when I was playing daily, and I always made sure to wipe it down when I was done playing for the day. There are no large dents but it does have few shallow dings from normal use. There was a crease in the bell that was repaired. You can still see some evidence of where it was repaired, but only if you are really trying to find it. All repair work was done by Chuck Ward in Chardon, Ohio (fixed sticky valves, chemical cleaning, etc.). The finish is still in good shape. The only place where there is any really obvious signs of wear are the thumb ring and the part of the valve levers that your fingers make contact.
Interesting Features
The leadpipe can be removed. The horn came with 2 leadpipes, but I lost the second leadpipe somewhere over the years. The second leadpipe did not actually fit the horn. The screw holes on the pipe did not line up with the mounting points on the horn. I never actually got to try to the second leadpipe since it would not fit without modification.
The second valve is vented and has a lever for the slide that allows you to adjust intonation on the fly. This came from the factory like this.
The valve levers have a nice engraved flower pattern where your fingers contact them. They also have the nice effect of hiding the fact that the finish is wearing away!
Fifth valve is a long whole step
Case
I'm including the wheeled hard shell case in the price. The case was made for the horn, but to be honest, it's pretty poor quality and has some damage. The main handle that lets you pick the case up off the ground fell apart a couple of years after I got it. I repaired it with hardware store parts to limp it along. There is a second handle on the case you can use to drag it by the wheels. At some point, the case started to crack where the dragging handle is attached. To be clear, I was always very careful with this horn and case, but the case handles pretty much disintegrated from normal use. The case will still keep the horn safe from dings while you are transporting it, but the handles are sketchy at best.
I would prefer to sell this in person since shipping this thing would be pretty expensive and I don’t want to risk damaging it. If you can make the trip to Cleveland, I’ll do my best to accommodate your schedule. If you are interested, send me a PM.
