New Stofer CC Tuba

[Lee Stofer]

I have been playing tuba since 1975, maintaining and repairing tubas and other wind instruments since the mid' 1980's, and have pursued the repair and customization craft as a vocation since 1995. It had been a dream of mine to eventually build my own make of tuba, but I did not know whether to dare to expect it to ever be a reality. But, God works in mysterious ways. About a month ago, I was contacted by the Getzen Company concerning the G-50 CC tuba, which has not been produced for 10 years. Negotiations ensued, and we reached an agreement.

On Friday, October 19, 2012, I signed for a loan, drove to Elkhorn, Wisconsin, and bought and took delivery of the remaining parts, spec./build sheets, some tooling and the rights to this CC tuba. So, I own a lot of parts, and am now going to build a limited production of CC tubas based on a modified York 4/4 tuba.

There are several objectives that I hope to accomplish with this tuba;
1) Build the most carefully-crafted 4/4 CC tuba in the world. As I have disassembled and repaired/restored examples of almost every tuba made in the past 75-100 years, I find that so many have internal problems with the way the joints were soldered. This is the reason teachers and players have suggested to so many people, "Go somewhere where they have a number of this model, so you can try them out and find the best one". I am convinced that if the less-favorable instruments were disassembled, the problems would be obvious. This objective is to take the time to painstakingly prep each inner surface of each joint, so that the finished product is basically perfectly assembled, with strong resonance, easy response and solid intonation. Building an instrument this way takes an enormous amount of time, and is quite costly. But, I'm hopeful that there are a sufficient number of people that want that sort of tuba.
2) I have heard for years that the 5th rotor-in-the-leadpipe design was a weakness of this tuba. The fact is, that there is an approx. 4" section of the leadpipe that is not tapered because of the presence of the rotor. I plan to build a model with the 5th valve after the 4th, and do comparative testing of it against the existing factory model tuba. Upon request, the tuba is available in either configuration, and in a variety of finishes.
3) As alluded to above, I do not intend to crank out carbon-copies, but will build a tuba to it's new owner's specifications. I am looking into the possibility of offering push-button water keys if desired, about three times the size of the Amado water keys so that they will do the job and quickly. I have contacted my engraver, and custom engraving is not a problem. The instrument can be simply or elaborately finished, depending upon the customer's wishes. Each instrument will be available with an MTS case, an Altieri soft case or a Cronkhite soft case, depending upon the customer's wishes.

4) I plan to offer unparalleled "service after the sale", and a warranty on the materials and workmanship in each instrument. Each instrument will be accompanied by a specification sheet, including the date of completion and details on how the instrument was equipped.

I am now accepting the first four orders for the Stofer 4/4 CC tuba, and plan to show two examples at the Capitol Tuba-Euphonium Conference in late January 2013. All sales are subject to a 14-day approval period. if you are not delighted with the instrument, please return it in undamaged condition for a full and cheerful refund.