What did Chuck D. play?

[Uncle Buck]

Why don't you ask him?

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[Alex C]

I think Chuck played the Conn 3J on the album you mention. That was the first horn I saw him play in CB. He followed that with a Miraphone 184 which, again I think, had four valves.

I don't know what came next but eventually he played the Canadian Brass tuba and the Yamaha YCB621. It really doesn't matter too much what he plays, he always sounds good.

He's also largely responsible for the brass quintet craze that's been going on since the 1970's.

[MartyNeilan]

Why don't you ask him?

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Based on the half-dozen or so posts made by that user, I'm not so sure it is the same Chuck.

[Bill Troiano]

Looking at that album jacket, he is playing a 5 v. rotary tuba. It looks squat like a Piggy. I've never noticed it before. In my recollection of CB, based on record jackets, news articles and live performances, Chuck played a 184, followed by the 621, then the CB, and back to the 621.

[Richard Murrow]

Alex C Wrote:

"I think Chuck played the Conn 3J on the album you mention. That was the first horn I saw him play in CB. He followed that with a Miraphone 184 which, again I think, had four valves."

Actually, he played a "2J" in the very early days, but not a 3J to my recollection. Then on to the Yamaha years. He also played a 184 or 185 for a time early on.

[Tubaryan12]

A pen and a pad...oh, and a mixing board

[Biggs]

Dang it, Tubaryan, you stole my thunder!

Chuck D is one ill brotha!

[tubaman5150]

I enjoyed his sound on the G50/CB50 the most.
Sounded great live.

[eupher61]

He was playing a Schilke in 1979, IIRC.

Yamaha copied those, even had Schilke as a consultant/designer.

Somewhere, buried deep in a box, I think I have a vinyl recording of them with the Arnold. As I remember it, a very good rendition.

[Rick Denney]

I remember them using a matched set of Schilke instruments that Yamaha later copied (or they copied some of them at least) and this gave us the YCB-621 which grew into BBb and F versions later. This is what I was told and also what I read on album liners. True? Not true?

I don't know and didn't ask, but I have seen Chuck's gold-plated so-called Schilke up close and it's Yamaha through and through.

As I heard it (read: no less hearsay than what you reported): Renold Schilke and Daellenbach collaborated on the design with Yamaha. The instrument uses the same outer branch parts as other Yamaha instruments.

I don't recall the specific album liner hype, but I think I remember that it said that the instruments were custom-designed by Schilke.

And we've also heard reports from the repair tech for one of the CB trumpet players, who tells us that when the instrument is damaged, they just pull another one off the shelf and have it gold plated. (13)

Nothing new here. Jim Self collaborated on the design of the 822, but Yamaha still built the prototypes. And so on.

While I can't argue with Daellenbach's results, I think the 621 achieved it's highest potential as an F rather than a C. The BBb version has always seemed to me rather stuffy by comparison to the C and F.

Rick "whose conversations with Daellenbach from years ago centered on his York experiments and the forthcoming CB series" Denney

[Tom]

I remember them using a matched set of Schilke instruments that Yamaha later copied (or they copied some of them at least) and this gave us the YCB-621 which grew into BBb and F versions later. This is what I was told and also what I read on album liners. True? Not true?

This is true.

I have played a Schilke "621" CC tuba. It has been years since then, but I remember it saying Schilke on the valve block and having no Yamaha markings whatsoever. Although there were subtle differences, it looked, played, and sounded like a YCB-621. I recall thinking it was really a pretty decent tuba.

The owner of that particular instrument had owned it for many years and remarked that Yamaha did in fact copy a Schilke design. It is also correct that the CC was followed by the BBb, and later the F.

There was more than one Schilke "621" CC tuba made. The one that I spent some time with silver plated, but was a Schilke and not a Yamaha. I wish I had a few pictures of it. It was an interesting tuba.

Edit: Interesting enough, the gold plated one that I have seen was a Yamaha.

[tofu]

--

[Tom B.]

A few years ago, a Schilke CC tuba went up for sale on eBay, and the owner claimed it was formerly owned by Mr. Dallenbach. Before bidding on it, I called the Schilke factory to check out the story (which I had difficulty believing).

They searched around for an "old-timer" who told me that Yamaha had been attempting to put together a set of instruments for the CB, and they were having trouble getting the tuba right. Yamaha sent a box of tuba parts to Schilke, and Schilke modified and assembled them, using a few of their own parts in the process. This became the Schilke tuba that Mr. Dallenbach played, and was closely copied by Yamaha for their subsequent 621.

I was outbid on the tuba (I think it ended up at Baltimore Brass), and I still wonder if I should have taken a bit more of a risk. It was an interesting instrument, to say the least.

Tom

[Tom]

Maybe the no longer made Getzen. I believe Mr. Graves at baylor plays on a similar horn

If I recall correctly the Getzen G-50, know in its early days as the Canadian Brass CB-50, was not introduced until the mid 1990s, at least 10 years after the recording in question.

As for Mr. Graves, he has owned and played many tubas. I would not be surprised if he did play a similar tuba along the way.

[Steve Inman]

Okay .... but .... back to the OP's question -- what is the horn in the photo? (regardless of whether or not he PLAYED it .... ever!)

Curious about an academic issue, to be sure,

[Brendan Bohnhorst]

Bob,

I can tell you that he owns a Kalison Cimbasso in F. I got a chance to play it last year when Dennis Miller had it on loan for a concert with Montreal. I don't know if Chuck D has recorded with it or not, but at least you know that he does own and play one.

Brendan

[jacojdm]

For a visual comparison, here's a Yamaha 661.
It looks alot like the one pictured- left hand 5th, horizontal main slide, long front 4th slide.

but although his left hand is on the 5th paddle, I don't see the tubing for the valve.
Wait,never mind I do. IT looks like a shorter slide (blends into the body, that's why I didn't see it).

were these things around in 1980? If so/not, did chuck have a prototype?

[hbcrandy]

To the best of my knowledge, Charles Dallenbach did play a Yamaha 661 for a while. I remember a picture of him in an old T.U.B.A. Journal appearing on the TV show, Sesame Street, with a 661. I played a YCB661 for quite a while. I thought they looked like a Piggy on steroids.