3 valve tournister tuba in Switzerland

[sousaphone68]

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... 1114557169" target="_blank

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Altes-Blasinstru ... 1114557169" target="_blank

[bisontuba]

Hi-
Looks to be in great shape!!
Mark

[sousaphone68]

little over an hour left and at $1200 with 5 bidders

[sugawi]

Anybody won it from here?

[bigtubby]

Anybody won it from here?

Yes, I am afraid that Jonathan has lost an enthusiastic potential customer. I have a weakness for old horns.

And I have to thank sousaphone68 for bringing it to my attention, thanks!

[sugawi]

Let us know how you like it and what key is it in. I'm looking for one like this in BBb.

[bigtubby]

Will do. I _think_ that this one is in BBb by comparing the photos and dimensions with the one that is known to be in BBb here: http://www.rugs-n-relics.com/Brass/tuba ... rtuba.html" target="_blank

The only thing that looks wrong to me is the length of the 2nd valve slide and I wonder if that might be a replacement ... we shall see within a week or so I hope.

[imperialbari]

My estimation of the pitch from the photos is that this tuba is in F, possibly with 3rd valve lowering the pitch 2 full steps. The 2nd valve is much shorter that the one of the BBb tuba you refer to.

Klaus

[bigtubby]

My estimation of the pitch from the photos is that this tuba is in F, possibly with 3rd valve lowering the pitch 2 full steps. The 2nd valve is much shorter that the one of the BBb tuba you refer to.

Klaus

We now have votes for each of the four major tuba keys - except that I've since discounted my BBb guess after noticing that it is missing a loop in the bugle compared with the one shown on the Rugs and Relics site. The glare in photos of the shiny one led me to miscount there.

Again I hope that we will know before too long, eBay's delivery estimates are like Waiting for Godot - each day the estimated delivery date is moved one day into the future.

[imperialbari]

I don't remember seeing documentation for Tornister tubas in any pitch but F or BBb.

Klais

[bigtubby]

The tornister has finally arrived! Of course it had to show up while I was in the middle of replacing the timing belt on my buddy's Pininfarina twin cam spider. Mom always said "No desert until you have finished dinner" so it had to wait for a while.

Now for the last hour or so I have been like this guy starting around 0:53:


Except instead of a starving man finding junk food he had stashed earlier, I found an original Cerveny Tornister tuba that is as close to pristine as anything this old could be. Slides all free and five minutes with a bit of valve oil and she plays - beautifully.

Second guessing myself I became convinced that it wasn't in BBb (which is what I wanted) but it is indeed a standard contrabass. As I suspected the second valve slide is too short, possibly the only non-original part on the horn (well, OK the lyre holder screw and lyre are missing). It will play almost in tune all of the way out but I will make a more appropriate slide.

To say that I'm a happy camper would be an understatement. I'm a happy camper.

[bisontuba]

Congratulations!
Mark

[bigtubby]

Thanks Mark, I think you would love it.