Miraphone Clone?

[Will]

A band director friend of mine just got a tuba for his program, a Miraphone 186 BBb. But it has no "Miraphone" stamp on the bell. It felt a little different than the 186s I've played before. It's a refurbished horn so it was hard to tell how old it was. Just wondered if the lack of a stamp on the bell and the numbers "2" and "5" on the rotor casings where normal for an older 186?

Will

[Michael Bush]

Replacement bell?

[Dan Schultz]

Does the bell have a garland? Are there any numbers stamped into the paddle bar?

Whenever I replace a torn up bell with an aftermarket bell... I normally stamp the original serial number (which WAS on the old bell) into the paddle bar.

[Will]

Yep it has a garland. No serial number to be found. Weird.

[Dan Schultz]

Yep it has a garland. No serial number to be found. Weird.

Surely it's genuine. ... just not original. Those replacement Miraphone bells are very expensive.