Time for the Spanish to make cheap tubas?

[Chuck(G)]

Where on the manufacturer's web site does it say that they actually make the tubas?

Many Chinese manufacturers will put whatever you want on the bell and paint it any color your heart desires, if you'll just commit to ordering a dozen or so.

You want one that's got "Mariphone" engraved on the bell--no problem!

[SplatterTone]

I believe the official color designation is:

[Chuck(G)]

I believe the official color designation is:

Is that Charlton Heston or Meinl Weston?

[windshieldbug]

Charlton Heston and Leigh Meinl-Weston

[The Big Ben]

choice of five colors, apparently...

clear/green/red/black/blue

Pretty wild.... Colors seem more like a trumpet affectation, though.... I'm a big U. of Washington fan and think it would be cool to have a purple and gold pocket trumpet to take to games to play the fight song.... Dan Oberloh has a King trumpet in Forest Green right now- old 'Silver Flair' if anyone is interested...

Color has its appeal... That green looks kind of nice...

I agree that the Chinese manufacturers (probably any factory who makes a stencil) would probably make 'em any color you want as long as the checks don't bounce...

Jeff "Selmer Gold would be a good color for my tuba" Benedict

[lgb&dtuba]

I rather liked that blue one. Looks like it would match my crystal blue Kellyberg.

I wonder what it would actually take to paint a tuba like that? Auto paint? Clear coat? How would it hold up to normal handling? Would it chip off when the tuba got dented? And a whole new debate could be started over how much such a paint job would or would not affect how the tuba sounded.

What say, freak jury?

[Jonathan Cruz]

When I worked at Disney, I was a Green Army man from toy story. what was I issued? A green bazooka kanstul shoulder tuba of course! It was painted with aircraft paint. I wanted to say with the heavyness of the paint, it altered the sound of the tuba, but having never gotten to play it before it was painted, I can't truely make that claim. Every so often it'd get a small dent and where the dent was, a little paint would flake off. What was the mouthpiece? A green kelly 24AW

[lgb&dtuba]

I wonder what it would actually take to paint a tuba like that?

I vote for colored lacquer.

And with a single stroke of Occam's Razor...



also lacquered, apparantly, the elephant strikes.

[Lew]

There was this one that Phil bought off eBay a number of years ago:

http://www.rugs-n-relics.com/Brass/tuba ... -Blue.html

I believe that it was just done with tint in the lacquer.

[lgb&dtuba]

I'm checking with http://www.graftedcoatings.com/wood.asp ... 20Coatings who makes a water based lacquer intended for wood, especially guitars. The KTM-9 product looks promising.

They will tint the lacquer to a color sample you provide for free. I'm checking with them regarding its suitability for lacquering brass. If their product is suitable I just may experiment around a little on some spare brass. If I like it, who knows?

Since I don't play in an orchestra I can get away with this sort of thing. We can be more showy.

[Chuck(G)]

Since I don't play in an orchestra I can get away with this sort of thing. We can be more showy.

How about a puce-and-chartreuse checkerboard pattern with a bunch of these stickers around the bell?

[lgb&dtuba]

Since I don't play in an orchestra I can get away with this sort of thing. We can be more showy.

How about a puce-and-chartreuse checkerboard pattern with a bunch of these stickers around the bell?

Uh, no.

Somewhere in between traditional lacquered brass and that is something reasonable, I think. Don't you?

[Chuck(G)]

Somewhere in between traditional lacquered brass and that is something reasonable, I think. Don't you?

Naw. The under-5 female crowd would adore it--and your section mates would give you plenty of elbow room...

[Daniel C. Oberloh]

Since I don't play in an orchestra I can get away with this sort of thing. We can be more showy.

How about a puce-and-chartreuse checkerboard pattern with a bunch of these stickers around the bell?

The color scheme is good but I prefer these kind of stickers.







Daniel C. Oberloh

Oberloh Woodwind and Brass Works
Saving the world, one horn at a time...

[LoyalTubist]

Just in case the eBay ad goes away, here is the link for the Spanish manufacturer. It seems you can buy the tubas directly from the factory!

http://www.consolatdemar.com/tubas.htm

For those of you who don't speak Spanish, TU-400 is CC and the others are BBb, except for TU-600 on page 3, which is F. If you click on the Helicons button, you will see three sousaphones. The first one is C (CC?) and the other two are BBb. They actually cost more than the upright tubas!

And, as I posted this, I noticed there is a button where you can get everything in English. My translations weren't that bad.

[Anterux]

They are made in China.

I have a "Consolat del Mar" bass trumpet (silver) and a Bb french-horn-like little horn (green just like the tuba on that photo).

They are chinese made.

[lgb&dtuba]

This is the best one.

The Left Handed Bass Tuba!

Very exciting for those lefties who cannot figure out the whole "valve thing" like the rest of us! Great for french horn doublers!!


What a quality job of editing their site. (sigh) This happens all of the time and is so stupid. I mean, how hard is it to actually LOOK AT you entire site when you are using it as a tool to convince the public to purchase stuff from your company? If it is a simple matter of them not knowing their product very well, then maybe they ought to rectify that little problem.

Check out the euphoniums. Many more left handed selections. Strange lead pipes, too.

[Anterux]

They are all right handed. its the photo that is inverted.

Why would they invert the photos?...

[lgb&dtuba]

See the elephant's previous post.

Jim "resisting the urge to post a Capt. Obvious pic" Wagner

[Chuck(G)]

If it is a simple matter of them not knowing their product very well, then maybe they ought to rectify that little problem.

No, no, no! Not that left--your other left!