I'm not interested in buying it, but I'm curious about this Scherzer CC at Baltimore Brass -- it's been there a long time. Has anyone tried it recently? Any guesses why it's been there so long? Low demand, or something wrong with it? Certainly looks cool at least...
I have played it, although I did not put a tuner on it and it was a the conference I could not tell what the intonation was like. Overall I thought it was a great blowing horn with an outstanding low register.
Back in August of 2013, I seriously considered the Scherzer. I found the intonation quite good and the sound had a lot of life in it. For me, it was between the Scherzer and a MW Model 30. After much trial and comparison, I found the MW more compaitble with my way of playing. I told Andrew at BBC that I wanted the MW with the Scherzer Bell (with the garland).
I would recommend the Scherzer to anyone.
Randy Harrison
Proprietor,
Harrison Brass
Baltimore, Maryland USA http://www.harrisonbrass.com
Instructor of Applied Brass Performance
Maryland Conservatory of Music
Bel Air and Havre de Grace, Maryland USA http://www.musicismagic.com
For anyone still interested, I found an old email, I forgot I had emailed the Big Man himself about the tuba:
David Fedderly wrote:The Scherzer has typical CC German tuba pitch tendencies. 1&2 a bit sharp, e in the staff is low etc etc. It has clockwork springs, S arm linkage. Looks like the 5th valve paddle was moved from the left hand to a right thumb set up and is a flat whole step. Very similar size to a Mirafone 186, sound is darker than the 186 but lighter and more responsive then its cousin the MW32. Hope this helps.
58mark wrote:Btw, I was right about the linkage, and it was the modern linkage which made me suspect the valve had been added.
If you're referring to the quote in my post, I think it meant that the 5th valve used to be a LH, and was converted to RH. (That is, it was never a 4v tuba.)
My opinions on the Scherzer CC at Baltimore Brass.
I went with Randy (hbcrandy) to check this tuba against my Alexander 163. Randy did decide on the MW 30 but it was not an easy decision (we were test driving the two tubas for over an hour with Sear duets, etc...). When Randy played the Scherzer it had very good intonation and a nice lively sound with a core. The sound did not break up at forte and it sounded like a tuba (instead of like a chainsaw). This tuba also sounded very good in the softer dynamics. I played the Scherzer and found it to have a nice even response through the registers. To me the linkages were fine and the clock springs worked well. Both Randy and I thought it was an excellent tuba. I think that this tuba would be a very good general purpose tuba.
best,
Mark
Mark E. Chachich, Ph.D.
Principal Tuba, Bel Air Community Band
Life Member, Musicians' Association of Metropolitan Baltimore, A.F.M., Local 40-543
Life Member, ITEA
Neal Tidwell had one like this in New Orleans.Five valves, I forget where the fifth paddle was, and I can't remember the springs.He had purchased it from Custom Music and it turned out to be a bit flat(although it was used) so he and Jake went back and, according to Neal, Jake persuaded them to cut the main slide. The one at BB looks to have been cut also as all of the other slides have grease cups while the main doesn't and looks short.He got a GORGEOUS sound on it and even I could get a really pretty sound on it. I don't think this is his horn since his was unlaquered and I don't think it had thatpiece on the bottom that attempts to castrate the player but I'd be looking at it if I wasn't ready to retire.FWIW, Ed
I don't have an opinion on the Scherzer in question. However... I converted one a while back from a 2-3 combination 5th valve to a flat step and the horn looked like this. I have no reason to think the 5th valve or the linkage is not original.... other than the cut 5th circuit, that is.
Dan Schultz
"The Village Tinker" http://www.thevillagetinker.com" target="_blank
Current 'stable'... Rudolf Meinl 5/4, Marzan (by Willson) euph, King 2341, Alphorn, and other strange stuff.
In ca 1900 there was an excellent instrument maker (among many..)in Markneukirchen called "Rino Werkstätte" by its owner, Emil Knoth. His son Kurt Knoth took over in 1935. In the mid 1960s Knoth retired, although I believe some instruments carried his name until the mid 70s and his workshop was taken over by his nephew Johannes Scherzer(he recently turned 80) whos workshop was later "integrated" in the mid 1980s into what became known as B&S. Many fine instruments came out of Scherzer's workshop including several CC tubas. Like many tubas from Markneukirchen in the 60s, it was tuned a bit flat to our modern ears hence the shortened tuning slide on this example. The tuba could have theoretically been ordered with left or right hand 5th valve linkage although mostly with lefthand linkage per local custom. Otherwise the tuba looks to be unaltered and mostly original. To insinuate this tuba or Scherzer had or has anything to do with Cerveny would be uninformed.
cheers
2165
