Old Besson/Boosey Parts

[bigtubby]

Hello All,

I've been lurking for some time, what a great great resource!

Recently I became the proud owner of a 1904 (according to the serial number lists) 3 valve compensating Boosey & Co. BBb tuba. It is in great shape but is missing a top valve cap and button.

Using the information found here I have written to Windcraft and MrTuba2 in GB but no response (yet) from either. If anyone can point me in the right direction I will greatly appreciate it.
-Tommy

[Dan Schultz]

If used parts are around... the two sources you've already contacted will know.

There are many machine shops around that could duplicate one of your existing caps and buttons. Two who are familiar with making parts for musical instruments are Dan Oberloh and Dick Hansen. Dan frequents this forum and you can contact Dick Hansen here: http://www.hansenbrassrepair.com/" target="_blank

[Bessontubaplayer]

Hello All,

I've been lurking for some time, what a great great resource!

Recently I became the proud owner of a 1904 (according to the serial number lists) 3 valve compensating Boosey & Co. BBb tuba. It is in great shape but is missing a top valve cap and button.

Using the information found here I have written to Windcraft and MrTuba2 in GB but no response (yet) from either. If anyone can point me in the right direction I will greatly appreciate it.
-Tommy

Hello ! Was that tuba silver ? and on ebay at the end of last year ? I was bidding on one that sounded just like the one your talking about in december and lost it by a few bucks I was mad .wish i had of been home so i could have bid on it more . may not be the same tuba but it sounds like it .hope you get it fixed

[bigtubby]

@BessonPlayer: It probably is the one you saw on ebay. I'm sorry that I snatched it from you. No I'm not

It is in great shape other than the fact that it was poorly packed and UPS palyed football with the box. Since my mandrels are long since gone, I have taken it to a local fellow to have the bell unsmashed and hope to get it back soon, can't wait to get it working properly. Thanks to Tuba Tinker I have contacted Dick Hansen and it looks as if I will probably have his machinist replicate the cap.

If there is a way to send private messages here, please send me one - recently I was in communication with someone who has one of these in a store under consignment. Didn't ask the price but will be happy to give you his contact information.
-Tommy

[Wilf.tuba]

You could try http://www.windcraft.co.uk" target="_blank, they have a lot of old boosey parts.

[bigtubby]

You could try http://www.windcraft.co.uk" target="_blank" target="_blank, they have a lot of old boosey parts.

Thank you Wilf, Windcraft didn't respond to my message so I assume that they don't have the parts. The fellow on the East Coast who said that he could have them replicated never returned my call.

Finally asked a friend who owns a machinery manufactory and he said that he would copy for me if I wasn't in a hurry. He also said that once he had thing measured and the CNC set up, making more than one would be a piece of cake. So I hope to have some of these available before too long in case anyone else needs ...

[Bessontubaplayer]

You could try http://www.windcraft.co.uk" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank, they have a lot of old boosey parts.

Thank you Wilf, Windcraft didn't respond to my message so I assume that they don't have the parts. The fellow on the East Coast who said that he could have them replicated never returned my call.

Finally asked a friend who owns a machinery manufactory and he said that he would copy for me if I wasn't in a hurry. He also said that once he had thing measured and the CNC set up, making more than one would be a piece of cake. So I hope to have some of these available before too long in case anyone else needs ...

I think I might need one too . my besson has three caps that work great but one doesn`t match

[bigtubby]

You could try http://www.windcraft.co.uk" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank, they have a lot of old boosey parts.

Thank you Wilf, Windcraft didn't respond to my message so I assume that they don't have the parts. The fellow on the East Coast who said that he could have them replicated never returned my call.

Finally asked a friend who owns a machinery manufactory and he said that he would copy for me if I wasn't in a hurry. He also said that once he had thing measured and the CNC set up, making more than one would be a piece of cake. So I hope to have some of these available before too long in case anyone else needs ...

I think I might need one too . my besson has three caps that work great but one doesn`t match

Will let you know as soon as this happens. Two caveats RE: matching:

1. These should be dimensionally correct but the knurling might not match the original.
2. The stock I gave him is bronze (a vintage Lyman boat propellor shaft) not brass.

Those two don't bother me because:

1. I'm going to get a set of three and save my two plier marked originals.
2. I will silver plate to match my horn so the color doesn't matter to me.

Not sure if I will be able to exactly match the knurling but I can buy brass stock if you need the color to match.

[bigtubby]

The long awaited call came and I now have replacement caps for the old Boosey:


They fit perfectly and look great - now the old bombardon can be played and it sounds great!

[Bessontubaplayer]

The long awaited call came and I now have replacement caps for the old Boosey:


They fit perfectly and look great - now the old bombardon can be played and it sounds great!

WOW ! Those look great ! They done a fine job with them

[Dan Schultz]

The long awaited call came and I now have replacement caps for the old Boosey:
They fit perfectly and look great - now the old bombardon can be played and it sounds great!

Did Hansen Brass make those? Nice!

[imperialbari]

Photo documentation of the whole instrument, please!

Which is not a matter of artsy angles, but about emulating the blueprints.


Klaus

[bigtubby]

The long awaited call came and I now have replacement caps for the old Boosey:
They fit perfectly and look great - now the old bombardon can be played and it sounds great!

Did Hansen Brass make those? Nice!

No he never returned my call

A friend IRL made them for me. He did a _VERY_ good job of replication:
He even noticed that the counter bores in the top aren't straight but relieved a bit toward the bottom and copied that. Can anyone clue me in on the purpose of those? To hold a cork maybe???

[bigtubby]

Photo documentation of the whole instrument, please!

Which is not a matter of artsy angles, but about emulating the blueprints.


Klaus

As it happens I just made a cell phone photo of it:


Awaiting some parts from Tuba Tinker to finish it up and not finished cleaning it (a man could make a career of cleaning that thing!). Will make better and more detailed photos when finished.

There are photos of a nearly identical instrument here:
http://www.martinclaremusicfund.org/bflat-tuba.htm

It's a few years newer according to the serian numbers; ca 1923 according to: http://homepages.ed.ac.uk/am/gdsj.html

[imperialbari]

Thanks! I like the photo because it reveals the architecture as seen from the front.

You call the photo bombardon, but that is, to my knowledge, the old English name of Eb tubas.

Looking forward to photos revealing the airpath on the rear side.

Klaus

[bigtubby]

Thanks! I like the photo because it reveals the architecture as seen from the front.

You call the photo bombardon, but that is, to my knowledge, the old English name of Eb tubas.

I was going by the description that Arnold Meyers used when posting it to his list of surviving Boosey instruments: http://homepages.ed.ac.uk/am/gdsj.html. Since he has access to the company records I assume that he uses their descriptions. In that list are several F bombardons and Bb bombardons (as well as a few "circular bombardons").

It seems to me that I read somewhere that "bombardon" was the military term for "tuba".

Looking forward to photos revealing the airpath on the rear side.

Klaus

Finally got around to that photo:


Note: The main tuning slide is not original and is about 2 1/2" too short. The original had doglegs allowing it to clear the bottom bow, I am in the process of making a more accurate replacement.

There is an excellent discussion of this compensating system on Horn-U-Copia: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5-_7UC ... sp=sharing.

[bigtubby]

Thanks! I like the photo because it reveals the architecture as seen from the front.

You call the photo bombardon, but that is, to my knowledge, the old English name of Eb tubas.

Looking forward to photos revealing the airpath on the rear side.

Klaus

RE: Your interest in airpaths:
I knew that I'd seen it somewhere, just found the patent for the 3V compensating awarded to D. J. Blaikley in 1879 on Google:
Blaikley "Improvement in Cornets"

I'm not sure how this system differs from the patent awarded to Thomas Edwards (for Besson) in 1908: Edwards' "Cornet or the Like" patent.

[iiipopes]

Another resource is Mark Carter, a/k/a "Mr. Tuba" in Wales.
http://www.netupandgo.com/mrtuba/" target="_blank