attn: Wessex

[bloke]

I wonder if one of these tiny little 12" bell Edgware Street Eb tubas' frames could be made into a compensating F tuba that plays usably well in tune?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Besson-2-20-Eb-Tuba/222851811828

Is anyone familiar with how well these little cuties play in tune as Eb instruments?

...so it would cost Jonathan $250 plus shipping from Louisville to pick it up, toss the valveset, and play with it as a prototype.

Some of the 1950's/1960's funny little compensating F tubas weren't so bad...
They weren't configured just like this 2-20 student model Eb, but weren't that much different.



...so this is actually what the old (not "Barlow", but 1950's - 1960's compensating) Edgware Street F tubas looked like...Actually, this one dates back to the 1920's, but those from a half century ago were very similar:



I'm actually wondering if the smaller bell (on the 2-20 student model Eb) might help the 8th partial pitch be not-so-saggy...(??)

[the elephant]

The Besson F like that one that I used as a student as UNT was one of the best F tuba sounds I have ever heard, and there were no useless notes like low C or whatever. However, the comp loops were cut very wrong and it could only be played in tune with much hard work and lot of fervent, on-your-knees prayer. It was so doggy in that regard. I used it to make a very respectable recording of Benvenuto Cellini with the top shelf school orchestra. I would own one had it had a scale that even vaguely resembled a Western one. If Jonathan could get an end product like that in tone and projection (it was LOUD) but with manageable pitch it would sell.

[Wyvern]

We are actually working on a compensated F tuba based on a very good rare Besson F example from 1960's. That will be available in both 3+1 and 4 front piston configurations.

The old Besson plays amazingly well with good intonation and surprisingly big tone - enough for me to want to brush up my F tuba playing. I am sure the new Wessex F will play equally well, if not better after Chuck Nickles has tweeked.

I initially thought this would be easy to make using existing Eb parts, but has turned out to require all new bows and bell.

I am hoping to have prototype by middle of this year.

[bloke]

The best of those (1960' Edgware comp. F tubas) are fun little tubas...and - somehow - if the saggy 8th partial could be eliminated (you can hear AJ struggling with it in his RVW recording), that would really be something...

...which is why I tend to wonder if a bell shaped more like that tiny 12" bell Eb bell might be better than that "fatty" Edgware F bell shape that was used.

Heck...the Yamaha 621 F behaves itself pretty well, and that tuba is plenty loud as well...It seems as if it could be made into a comp, just as easily as anything.

I suspect (??) there are a bunch of euphonium players who would like to have a (very) small/accessible/usable F tuba that is configured in a way to which they are accustomed.

I understand the berating that some (more than a few) direct towards those Edgware 1960's compensating F instruments, but (well...) they were better playing and better in tune than any attempts at comp. F's that I've personally encountered since. Had there been more UK interest (at that time, as - seemingly - UK tuba playing consisted of "Eb/Bb top-action compensating tubas") in F tubas, I suspect that Edgware St. would have eventually trial-and-errored that model into a fine instrument. .689" bore apparently "works" for F tubas...at least, it works for Alexander...

[bisontuba]

Joe Novotny had a Besson F and used it. BTW, Alex F Tubas are .728 bore...so are BMB F Tubas....

[bloke]

I stand corrected.
The only one that I've ever had here was quite old and .689" bore...same as some very old Bohemian-made Alexander look-alikes.