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Selling my Mahillon French C Tuba. 4+2 pistons, silver finish.

This is the real deal - I've only ever found one other Mahillon 4+2 French C (in the Simonetti collection), but it has completely different bell markings. There is no serial or model number anywhere on this horn, just the Mahillon medallion on the bell. I've searched far and wide for info on this horn and this is all I've got. Any info you may have is appreciated. It plays fine, everything moves and is in good shape. Has the shank adapter for using a bass trombone mouthpiece. It sounds thinner than with a bigger tuba mouthpiece, but either way, it doesn't project quite the way we're used to on a modern tuba.

Includes a really nice gig bag. Located in the Sacramento Area $3000/$150 shipping

Photos and listing here:
https://rvrb.io/approx-1955-french-cw62x5" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

* edited - no longer available for trades, but DM me with reasonable offers.

I've had a few people ask what valves 5-6 do:

5 = 1/2 step
6 = 3 1/2 steps, but the slide can be pulled out for 4 steps.

They are not compensating valves

Bore is .587

When I studied with Mr. Jacobs, he had a six valve Mahillion in his basement, 3+3. I think I remember that it had an American mouthpiece receiver on it. Your Mahillion looks a lot more shiny than his looked.

So #6 would produce a low A, the same as 1+2 combination, or 3... and 5+6 together, I would get a low Ab (same as using 2+3 combination, or 5 alone on my old Mirafone) Right?

If you are looking for logic, the valve system of European 6 valve tubas is not the place to be. Frankly, I can not remember how the valves functioned but they were baffling. Mr. Jacobs played a few licks from the opening of the V-W and even he stumbled below the staff, a first!

6 is the same as 4 +1, and the 'low' C is the C in the second space on the staff (one octave below middle c) so:

0 = C
1 = whole step (Bb)
2 = half step (B)
3 = 1 1/2 steps (A)
4 = 2 1/2 steps (G)
5 = half step (same as 2)
6 = 3 1/2 steps (F - first space below the staff) or 4 steps (E one line below the staff)

There are a lot of valve combinations available, so instead of the usual pulling slides for intonation, it's much quicker/easier to use a different fingering.
I'm not sure if the idea is using valves 5 and 6 as 'transposing' valves to make it an F or Eb tuba (that only kind-of works), it seems like 5 and 6 are intended to be used like the other 4.

I'm glad to know that you played Mr. Jacobs' Mahillion back in the 70s and that you had foresight enough to write down how the valves operated because I am not sure I could have told you what was what on the day I played it.

BTW, not all 6-valve tubas have the same arrangement. My first F, a Scherzer had 4 as a minor third, 5 as a half step and 6 as a perfect fourth. That would have been workable except they were in the right hand, 1-2-3 was on the left side. The strange Vienna style of valves.

Alex C wrote:I'm glad to know that you played Mr. Jacobs' Mahillion back in the 70s and that you had foresight enough to write down how the valves operated because I am not sure I could have told you what was what on the day I played it.

I never played Mr. Jacobs horn, but I did test this out on the 4 + 2 (6-valve) Mahillion I currently have for sale - I figured that's what the question was about.

I'm positive these valve intervals are specific to this particular horn.