SOLD---HN White/King 1280 4v Rotary Orch Model Symphony Bass
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2020 7:56 pm
$4000 Located in Northern California, somewhere between Sacramento and Reno, NV.
I must thin the herd, starting with this wonderful, quite rare, King "pit" tuba; so called because its wrap is so tall (around 40") and so narrow (14.5") as to fit in a crowded orchestra pit. There's no way to play it on your lap, unless you are a giraffe, so one must set it in a stand. This one fits perfectly into an old school Wenger stand for stand up playing, but the common floor cradle -type stands are good for seated playing. Back in the day, tubists often doubled on string bass or bass sax (like Vince Giordano), and needed to quickly make an instrument change on the fly with a mounted tuba like this, and have enough room for their basses.
Ser# 163320 indicates it was made in 1935. Bare brass. BBb. 4 Rotors. 22" bell. .687" bore. No corrosion. Has only one dent, easily reparable, visible in pic. Well maintained. Kept clean and lubed. Rotors are tight. Slides all free, and pop nicely. The sound, feel, intonation, and the long paddle rotor action feels almost magical. Notes speak easily, are consistent in tone, and there are no funky notes or out of tune spots. Given the long reach to the two water keys, I have attached nifty braided fishing lines to pull them open remotely. This was made in the golden age of King. It's a very good player. It's not just a novelty, although it's a real crowd pleaser whenever you take it out in public. Be prepared for a lot of admiration and questions.
More info: http://thevillagetinker.com/King%20'pit'%20model.htm" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank
Shipping is always a fearful prospect, but I have an excellent set of boxes, styrofoam layered, for the body and detachable bell.
I have more pics, but have reached my limit here, of 3.
I must thin the herd, starting with this wonderful, quite rare, King "pit" tuba; so called because its wrap is so tall (around 40") and so narrow (14.5") as to fit in a crowded orchestra pit. There's no way to play it on your lap, unless you are a giraffe, so one must set it in a stand. This one fits perfectly into an old school Wenger stand for stand up playing, but the common floor cradle -type stands are good for seated playing. Back in the day, tubists often doubled on string bass or bass sax (like Vince Giordano), and needed to quickly make an instrument change on the fly with a mounted tuba like this, and have enough room for their basses.
Ser# 163320 indicates it was made in 1935. Bare brass. BBb. 4 Rotors. 22" bell. .687" bore. No corrosion. Has only one dent, easily reparable, visible in pic. Well maintained. Kept clean and lubed. Rotors are tight. Slides all free, and pop nicely. The sound, feel, intonation, and the long paddle rotor action feels almost magical. Notes speak easily, are consistent in tone, and there are no funky notes or out of tune spots. Given the long reach to the two water keys, I have attached nifty braided fishing lines to pull them open remotely. This was made in the golden age of King. It's a very good player. It's not just a novelty, although it's a real crowd pleaser whenever you take it out in public. Be prepared for a lot of admiration and questions.
More info: http://thevillagetinker.com/King%20'pit'%20model.htm" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank
Shipping is always a fearful prospect, but I have an excellent set of boxes, styrofoam layered, for the body and detachable bell.
I have more pics, but have reached my limit here, of 3.