Identify this model of weltklang Bb tuba

[cdatuba]

Model?
Dimensions...
Seems very big...

[scottw]

Not sure of the model #, but the Mirafone 186 clone by B&S. Reputed to be an excellent player.

[UTSAtuba]

Look more like an Alexander 163 BBb 'stencil'

Joseph "taking a stab at this game..."

[Søren]

I have heard about these old B&S/Weltklang Kaisers, but never seen one. It looks somewhat bigger than the normal B&S/Weltklang from that era.

In the middle of 2007, a person with the username "kschut" reported here of a Weltklang Kaiser. He stated the following (taken from the original post):

I own a Weltklang kaiser-model. Its bell-size is smaller than that of this Rudy. Its bore is ....ehhm .... where do you measure that? I have inside diameters of tuning-slides:
1st valve 20.2mm
2nd and 3rd: 20.5
4th: 21.0
main tuning-slide: 22.0

And although some notes are difficult to hit and the 5th harmonic has its usual problems, overall this instrument plays and sounds really great. Bright enough to be heard, big enough to support everything, and all that without having to work very hard (even in Kenton and Bruckner).

I tried to contact the person, but never got a reply.

If this picture really is a Weltklang Kaiser, it might be a rather rare horn.

[tubajazzo]

From the pic, it is clearly bigger than my old Weltklang Bb. The bell seems huge to me.

Gerd

[imperialbari]

I don’t think B&S made clones of anything Miraphone. If anything it was the other way round. B&S made some copies of Alexander horns and tubas.

This tuba in question looks like a B&S downgraded to Weltklang by engraving and by the simpler transmission. The angled entry into and exit from the valve block point in the B&S direction. There appears to be similarities to this 5 valve B&S BBb from the 1985 catalogue:

B&S rotary tubas. 4 pages from a 1985 catalogue_Page_4.jpg

High resolution version is in my brass galleries.

Klaus

[tubajazzo]

Hi Klaus, what you show here is the "normal" Weltklang size of Bb with horizontal tuning slide. Dimension of bell 420mm, bore is 19mm. Mine is like that in dimensions (despite only having 4 valves). The model shown in the pics above looks much fatter to me.
Perhaps the original poster could measure the bell diameter?

Gerd