Building a Tuba From Old Parts From Five Different Horns

[bisontuba]

Wade-
Very interesting.
mark

[imperialbari]

I am glad your business is taking off despite the shortness of equipment.

What bore is the piston block for that A tuba?

Klaus

[tclements]

I have a similar project under way, except it is a G tuba. With my usual mouthpiece, it sounds rather like my small Yamaha F.

[rodgeman]

Wow. These are some great projects. Keep me posted.

Thanks for sharing.

[JHardisk]

I have a similar project under way, except it is a G tuba. With my usual mouthpiece, it sounds rather like my small Yamaha F.

Hey Tony,

I can't quite make out the phone numbers in the second pic, can you clean em' up for us?

Seriously though, I'm jealous of these photos of garages/bedrooms filled with tubas/tuba parts! Someday, I hope to remove the clutter from our to replace it with my own graveyard of tuba clutter!


Very interesting ideas in both cases! Thanks for sharing!

[imperialbari]

With 6 valves, why take the trouble of adding slides? Just use the valves as vents, and you have got yourself a high-tech serpent.

Klaus

[tclements]

Re: 6 valves - I am ASSUMING there will be some pitch 'issues,' so I want to have some fingering options. I am going to have the 5th valve be a SHORT first valve, to correct the inevitable flat 5th partial notes. And the 6th valve will be a long 2nd valve, so I can play the 2 & 4 notes in tune (hopefully). One cool thing about this Kanstul G euph bugle is that (like Mr. Marzan's slant rotor tubas), the main tuning slide will be right under my left thumb.

I see this instrument being my Bydlo horn, I'll play the Petrushka solo on it, all the Mendelssohn and perhaps "Fantastique"; it lays right in the wheelhouse for Mahler 1 solo as well.

[TheHatTuba]

I have a similar project under way, except it is a G tuba. With my usual mouthpiece, it sounds rather like my small Yamaha F.

What is the body? A G contra?

[tclements]

The body is a Kanstul G euphonium.

[SousaSaver]

Now I will join in this crusade!

Now I want to make one in F. I have all kinds of junk lying around at the shop. Now it is time to dig through stuff and find enough parts to put one together.

I will post a few pics as I gather materials. I hope this can be an opportunity to use each other for information regarding pitch and other issues.

So far, each project looks really cool. But Tony, is it just the picture or are those the longest stroke valves I have ever seen?

[AHynds]

This all looks fascinating, guys! I'd love to someday be able to make my own unique instruments, just for fun if nothing else. Ever since I saw the famous Oren-o-phone, I've wanted to get one made in F. It'd also be cool to have a tuba in D, like the one that Bobo had. Awesome stuff!

[ken k]

these projects and Neptune's recent review of the tournista tuba bring to mind an idea I want to pursue and that is building a small travel tuba in Eb from a euph, or perhaps an old G baritone or euph bugle would be a good starting point. I have an old yamaha euph I was going to use for the bell secton, but G horn wold be a little longer already. hmmmmm....

[tclements]

Here's a photo of me playing the original horn. The valves aren't really very (or too) long. I think the picture is deceiving.

[arpthark]

The first post in this thread nearly exactly mirrors what I someday hope to do to my GG "blat-weasel." It is a Getzen, found in the basement of a church, missing the rotor section and enough tubing that it honks out a sharp Ab when you play it. I'd like to scrap all the GG spaghetti, put in a small valveset and use it as a special application G / F tuba. Don't know if I could use the remaining one valve it has - it has something around a .560" bore. Who knows? That's all years down the road. I was also considering making it a wall hanging or lamp, but decided it could probably be used as something a bit more useful.

I love projects like this, guys. Very interesting. Keep us updated!

[Bob Kolada]

Cool stuff! It'd be sweet if Kanstul would make these, either with front valves -or- maybe as a top valve horn with a comp valve set (euphonium valve set with longer slides) as a big ol' euph in G.

J.c., let's see that mini mini Bb of yours!

[J.c. Sherman]

Okay, Bob - pics will be posted tonight!

I'm working on a similar G (or perhaps F) instrument. I've done F, but I'm looking for an instrument for Mascagni and other older Italian literature, Ophicleide/serpent stuff if permission for ophicleide or euph isn't forthcoming, and some quintet literature. It's all over my bench now.

Bob's talking about a <ahem> BBb compact cimbasso >:)

Really nice work guys!!