Mystery European Rotary Tuba

[imperialbari]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/YorkMaste ... 2/pic/list

If new to my Yahoo-based brass gallery you may join via this address:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/Yo ... %20format/

Klaus

[imperialbari]

The engraving indicating Meinl-Weston as a division of Getzen, which I don’t think they ever were, would place it not much later than 1975.

Klaus

[imperialbari]

Found one more in my galleries:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/YorkMaste ... 2/pic/list

The 3 of your paddles look like they could be Meinl-Weston, but your instrument very well could be a conglomerate of available at a workshop more going for playability than for looks.

Klaus

[imperialbari]

Which is a bit odd maybe, as the official name to my knowledge is The Netherlands. Holland being the name for two of their provinces.

Until the upcoming of Adams the most known brass makers from The Netherlands were Kessels and Schenkelaars. The piston brasses from Schenkelaars were quite common in Denmark, when I started on brass in 1960, as currency exchange rates for US$ and British Pounds were not favorable back then. They soon lost to the British Class B instruments, which in turn lost to Yamaha’s 2XX and 3XX series.

My gallery has several entries of Schenkelaars’ instruments. The lone rotary BBb has paddles quite similar to those of your tuba. But I found no hexagonal stays. Yet I have a suspicion it is exactly on this brand I saw hexagonal stays. Could have been used for a period.

Seing the photos of the said BBb again makes me remember information told by the current MW owner, when they issued the HoJo small bore BBb models a few years back. HoJo’s original BBb tuba was a Mahillon. Making a replica wasn’t that tough for MW. They had supplied the bells for the original Mahillon version anyway.

And here may be the explanation, why your instrument looks like a conglomerate. Schenkelaars were most known for their piston instruments. They may have made their rotary instruments from parts bought from makers issuing much higher volumes of such instruments. The paddles of your tuba may look like MW, because they were bought from MW. And the rotor cranks looking like Cerveny may be because they were made by Cerveny.

Klaus

[imperialbari]

Bell engraving.jpg

[toobagrowl]

I agree.
What Klaus said makes sense: a Schenkelaars tuba made with some Meinl-Weston parts.
I just wonder if the hexagonal braces were made there in the Schenkelaars shop -- they are certainly unique!