Who made this helicon?

[imperialbari]

There are styles within helicons telling their origins. At least it used to be so. As with the sousaphones rotor valves are rare, if at all present, in American instruments. European and American piston valve blocks tend to be remarkably different in their air paths.

This auction is Italian, and the little Italian I understand appears telling an Italian equivalent of the euphemisms for Chinese made like French engineering:

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 0502936510

The short bell and the W in the tuning slide are rare in modern helicons. This helicon to me looks like pitched in Eb, yet the closest resemblance of main design features happens to be this Miraphone CC helicon, one of two made for the Jack Daniels Brass Band:

Front view.jpg

Valve section view.jpg

Back view.jpg

Klaus

[SousaSaver]

It certainly is a strange creature. I can honestly say I have never seen anything like it. The two tone cluster and body is strange as well...

[Dean E]

Klaus, to me the "Artisan" body at the Italian auction site is similar to a modern Cerveny F helicon, but with a sousaphone-style valve set. Maybe someone in China is using up extra parts?

[Mike-ICR]

I can't help but wonder if Harv Hartman has anything to do with it.

[imperialbari]

The observation about the Czech body is interesting and didn’t occur to me (sadly so). Your posting made me reread the Italian text with a new understanding:

The helicon appears being made by the Italian brass making house "Artisan".

That very well could fit with the Czech body. We don’t discuss this much, but many makers work in the old Markneukirchen tradition, where parts are bought from specialist subcontractors, and the engraved name indicates the company doing the design and the final assembly. American horn makers like Lewis and Wes Hatch still work that way based on German bells and valve blocks combined with leadpipes and branches drawn in the US. Swiss Spada bought semi-finished cornets from Besson and added their own final touch. Gronitz work closely with Meinl Weston on the large parts, at least the bells, of their tubas.

One shot, long or short, might be that this helicon was made out of parts from Cerveny/Amati and Miraphone. The W-shape tuning slide is neither unique nor monopolized, but it is quite rare on modern instruments, so Miraphone would be an obvious source.

Klaus

[tuba-tobias]

It says in the text to this auction Bemolle which means Bflat.
The lead pipe with its wingscrews looks Czech, found on Lingnatone, Supertone and Amati (same s***, different names) sousaphones

[SousaSaver]

He is talking about the Helicon in the eBay link above the pictures.

[Dan Schultz]

..... The W-shape tuning slide is neither unique nor monopolized, but it is quite rare on modern instruments....
Klaus

It's true that you don't see this configuration on modern instruments..... unless the parts are 'cobbled' together from sousaphone parts and this was done to get the pitch back down. It's not unusual for a sousaphone to helicon conversion to go waaay sharp.

[cjk]

Looking at the picture made me instantly think Böhm & Meinl.

[imperialbari]

Looking at the picture made me instantly think Böhm & Meinl.

I tend to disagree. B&M, as makers of the York Master line in the decades after WWII, were the first European makers to use the American front action and sousaphone style air path in their valve blocks. This present helicon has the typical European sousaphone valve block with sharp bends. Basically a top action block with straight knuckles turned around 180°.

Klaus

[imperialbari]

Looking at the picture made me instantly think Böhm & Meinl.

I tend to disagree. B&M, as makers of the York Master line in the decades after WWII, were the first European makers to use the American front action and sousaphone style air path in their valve blocks. This present helicon has the typical European sousaphone valve block with sharp bends. Basically a top action block with straight knuckles turned around 180°.

Klaus

[gionvil]

if that can be of any help, "Artisan" is the brand of a small manufacturer located in Como, Italy ( my hometown) here is the address:
De Bastiani Mario Strumenti Musicali
Via Isonzo 52
22100 Como
ph. +39031590263

They don't have a website as far as I know. They produce a line of band instruments, but I really don't know whether they buy parts or build them themselves...
Gion

[imperialbari]

Thank you very much for this information!

In the context of another posting on this thread I will say, that I am in agreement about at least the BBb Amati sousaphone being horribly bad, but as I get it the same does not go for the Cerveny helicons. Being a small maker Artisan very well might use Cerveny as the supplier for their helicon bells.

Klaus