Bb tuba B&S 4+2 rotary valves

[tavacirulc]

Hello, can you help me?
Offered me this B&S BB tuba with 4+2 rotary valve.
I don’t know what model it’s, and how much is the value of this horn.
Thank you for yours advices and suggestions.
By

Tuba B&S.JPG

Tuba B&S_chiavi.JPG

[tavacirulc]

Thanks for answer.
The sound is good and the rotor is ok.
There's no case.
The price is $4000
I was perplexed because I never see any Bb B&S tuba with 6 valves.
Why there isn't in market now. Is that model an prototype?

[bort]

I would pay as much for that as I would a good 4-valve version of the same horn. Probably under $4,000.

All that extra metal probably makes the horn heavier too. Looks cool, but just not sure how much I would ever need the 5th and 6th valves...

[cjk]

I have seen a picture of a similar tuba on tubenet before.

A guy with the moniker dmmorris has (or had) one.

viewtopic.php?t=31207&p=272970" target="_blank

Looks like a very neat instrument.

[bort]

$4,000 is a fair price for pretty much any B&S tuba, as long as it's not a total clunker (which it sounds like this one is NOT). If you like it enough to bring it home, that's the test for buying it. The next month or so is the test to see if you want to keep it.

[tavacirulc]

Thanks
Maybe this will be my fourth tuba

[Bob Kolada]

Cool horn! If it has a good low range it'd be fun for brass band Bb parts.

[tubeast]

Hello,

seems like the valve set is the version with those ball linkages that can be tightened with a screw. At some time B&S thought that to be a good idea. In my experience (judging from one horn my community band owns), it is not. Ours is either too tight to move or so loose it sounds like a mechanical calculator. It doesn´t seem to have a "just right" setting for smooth operation without noise.

Cool horn, otherwise. What is the tuning of 5th and 6th rotors on this particular horn ?

[Søren]

If it plays as well as my (older but similar) 4v Symphonie version, I would buy it right away.....

[pjv]

In defense of BBb tubas with more than 4 valves;

BBb tubas usually have just as many intonation problems as CC tubas. If the 1+3 combination works great for C and F, then its possible to tune the 4th to get a nice B and E and be happy. If not, a 5th valve can be a life saver. There are just too many works of music out there requiring a player to play C's & B's and F's & E's consecutively to be happy with always having to do a major lip-tune-job on one of the combinations.

6 valves? If the tuba plays nice, go for it. You can always consider surgery at a later stage.

Good, luck.

[imperialbari]

If it follows B&S’s standard pattern for 6 valves on tubas, the tuning of the 5th valve is a long whole step and the tuning of the 6th valve is a long semitone.

One perception of this instrument might be that it is a double tuba in BBb & FF with 3 valves on the BBb side, a shift valve to FF, and 2 valves on the FF side.

The 6 valves by pure math offer 64 different fingerings, some much more relevant than others, but still a large selection of pitch adjustments. The catch is about the added weight and about the extra rigidity of the system, which both potentially may ham the response.

Klaus

[toobagrowl]

Looks like something bloke would play on j/k.

Seriously, I've never seen a 6rv BBb tuba before Looks to be in good shape, and if it plays/sounds good, then $4000 is a steal for that tuba