Holton?

[Steve Marcus]

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=RC8OODlnM ... re=related

Richard Maloof played a recording bass on other Lawrence Welk shows that are also on YouTube.

Is the BBb top-action 3-banger with the upright bell and huge throat in this video a Holton?

[Norlan Bewley]

Steve,

I can't say for sure, but based on the look of the valve caps and buttons, the mouthpiece receiver, and especially the large bell ferrells I would guess either a Martin or a Holton.

Norlan Bewley

[Norlan Bewley]

Ok, let's narrow it down to probably a Martin:

http://www.horn-u-copia.net/cgi-bin/yab ... 1111629654" target="_blank"

Compare it to some Holtons:

http://www.horn-u-copia.net/cgi-bin/yab ... 1107092701" target="_blank"

[MileMarkerZero]

Dunno what make it is, but the throat on that thing is friggin enormous...

[iiipopes]

Richard retired from the Welk show many years ago, and now may not be in the best of health. That's one reason I got the Precious Memories public TV special gig. He may or may not be in a position to correspond.

Hmm. And I thought it was a Conn 2XJ.

[imperialbari]

Nice try to help bloke, Pachy! But his quests for sanity are modest, so he will be away for some more hours still.

As for Steve’s original question: I am puzzled by the contour of the edge of the valve buttons, which I don’t remember the origin of.

But from the bell profile and especially from the 3rd valve wrap I very much tend to go with Steve’s own assumption: Holton.

Klaus

Ps: I like the tuba playing on the video. The musette registers of the accordions are far from my taste. And to me it sounds like a bass guitarist in the background finds it necessary to play along with the tuba. I do not agree with that bass guitarist.

[Dan Schultz]

I'm gonna vote for Martin... for no reason other than that they were very popular in those days and far outnumbered the big Holton horns... and because of the 'square-ish' bottom bow. I think that the big bell-front horn that sat on the stage of Spike Jones's "City Slickers" band was probably also a top-action Martin. I have found it interesting that almost all of the 'stage band' tubists played top-action horns. My own analysis is that these horns usually sat on stage waiting for the musician to just sit down beside them and play them after doubling on another instrument... like string bass. It's not often that I've seen a tubist sit with a top-action tuba.

Of particular interest to me is what seems to be an extremely long piston stroke. Also, my eyes might be deceiving me but this horn does not appear to be in very good condition and the finger buttons may be mixed. In fact, those finger buttons look more like old-style Conn than anything else to me.

[Daniel C. Oberloh]

Yeah, Holton.

Daniel C. Oberloh
Oberloh Woodwind and Brass Works
http://www.oberloh.com" target="_blank

[ztuba]

Hey Dan... How are things?

[Paul Scott]

I don't think it's a Martin for a few reasons. I've never seen one with a 3rd valve-slide wrap like that and also the second valve tubing is different from any Martin I've seen. The left "leg" of the second valve tubing coming out of the valve is higher than the right "leg" whereas the opposite is true for any Martin I've seen. It does have small valve buttons like a Martin but the diameter of those casings is pretty big. My first impression was Holton.

A top-action horn is a lot more interesting to watch! I noticed that at about 1:54 into the video he makes a quick move to tighten both the top valve cap and button on the first valve. We've all been there, (at least those of us who play piston horns)!

[funkhoss]

Hi all,

This tuba is definitely a Holton. It looks very similar to a very large Holton Eb that I have in my possession right now (pictured below). The valveset is identical and the bell and bottom bow may be as well.

I think the tuba in the video looks larger than it actually is because the man playing it is of fairly small stature--look at how large he is compared to the woman playing the accordion. If it has the same bell as my E-flat, then it is only 19" in diameter.

(Just for reference, the E-flat Holton pictured below has much larger body tubing than the Besson 981 that I also have in my possession.)

Thanks,

Sam Funkhouser

After.jpg

[ztuba]

Makes no sense to me that there is a second page of posts... didn't Dan Oberloh already say this is a Holton?

[Rick Denney]

Even Dan has to supply reasons for posterity.

More for posterity: All the Martins I've seen from that era used special tubing bits with thumbscrew locks.

The upper bow seems too fat for a Martin. The buttons are small, and look almost like trumpet buttons. Those are the same buttons that came on my Holton.

That round bottom bow is Holtonesque, to be sure. Holton bows on the big tubas follow a more circular path than the crooks on the tuning slides.

Rick "with no pretense of authority" Denney

[TubaBobH]

The mouthpiece might (??) either be a smaller Holton mouthpiece or possibly (??) a King mouthpiece.

I am holding my old King 26 mouthpiece, that came with my King 1241 tuba that I bought back in 1972, next to the enlarged shot that the elephant provided, and they look very, very similar.

[imperialbari]

No, my friends... The discussion will continue, because neither Arnold Jacobs nor Jehovah have yet identified this instrument as a Holton Bb tuba.

If this is your way telling your supervisors within the Watchtower industrial conglomerate, that you have turned all contributors to this thread into true witnesses (so that your bonus for 2008 should be released), then I only have this comment:

You got away with this much easier than the poor individuals wearing out their soles on sidewalks, on driveways, and on stairs!

Klaus, who once dwarfed a Young Pioneer in knowledge of parts of the New Testament, and hence ended up on their Don’t-pay-him-a-visit-list

[The Big Ben]

Isn't the tnfj fantastic?

No, my friends... The discussion will continue, because neither Arnold Jacobs nor Jehovah have yet identified this instrument as a Holton Bb tuba.

And to think it was all generated by a 40 year old black and white video from the my grandmother's favorite show..

Jeff "A one and a two and a three..." Benedict

[The Big Ben]

Klaus, who once dwarfed a Young Pioneer in knowledge of parts of the New Testament, and hence ended up on their Don’t-pay-him-a-visit-list

Oh...I bet you mean these guys...

Them guys is Mormon. I think Klaus is talkin' 'bout JWs.

[The Big Ben]

Even Dan has to supply reasons for posterity.

Yeah? Well, he'll show you. He'll crack another beer and refuse to respond.

Jeff "Pop! Fizzzzz... Glug, glug, glug. "Ah!" " Benedict

[imperialbari]

Klaus, who once dwarfed a Young Pioneer in knowledge of parts of the New Testament, and hence ended up on their Don’t-pay-him-a-visit-list

Oh...I bet you mean these guys...

Them guys is Mormon. I think Klaus is talkin' 'bout JWs.

When it comes to reading, The Big Ben obviously has the better place on The Bell Curve.

Mormons of Danish heritage made themselves known here 5 or so decades ago because they wanted access to the old Church of Denmark registers (which used to be the state census books also). Their purpose was to re-baptise their long dead ancestors to their acquired faith Access was denied.

Klaus

[Art Hovey]

Looks like a 1920s York to me.