contrabass valve trombone - more than Italian overtures

[UDELBR]

Anyway, there were times that I could ABSOLUTELY cut loose on the contrabass valve trombone, and "grab the orchestra with a brass fist" (particularly on the Earth, Wind, and Fire medley).

Fun, eh? That's a role tubaists never really get to experience, no matter how "big" a sound one can produce on the tuba. It's just different on a cylindrical instrument.

[pjv]

What were the minor adjustments you made on this horn?

[cozzagiorgi]

Why dont you call this a cimbasso?

[Bob Kolada]

Neat! I don't get why all the big-company-made-ones have the bell go so far forward; you'd think a closer bell would be appreciated.

[bisontuba]

Hi-
Whether a cimbasso, a contrabass valve trombone, or 'that strange looking thing,' I am all for any tuba player getting 'doubling' and/or gaining employment.......
Mark

[bisontuba]

I always knew you'd show your 'liberal roots'......
Mark

[Lingon]

Thanks Bloke for the excellent review and also the hints about how to use this large member of the valve trombone family!

Contrabass valve trombone, yes. But like with the F cb slide trbn that some calls a bass trbn in F shouldn't this valve instrument then be called a bass valve trombone? And the cb valve trombone in BBb would then be the 'real' cb valve trbn?

As for applications, it is a great instrument to use the way Bloke did. In our orchestra we have done it for many years and the section sounds great every time, depending on the music and arrangement that is.

The only thing is that if all tubists starts getting bass trombone gigs with their valved big trombones then many bass trombonists will start to not like tubists that doubles on the big thing.

Otoh, the sound of a modern bass trombone and a modern cimb oops cb valve trbn for the last brass section parts sounds absolutely great. On some music better than with a b trbn and a tuba. But as usual, it is all about the music...

More cimbassi to the people

[bisontuba]

Hi-
I remember in the good old days when the Ice Show ( Ice Capades or Ice Follies) would travel and used/hired a live band in each town. They actually would hire French horns and a tuba as part of the 'band.' The Conductor would 'double' with Conducting and then would pick up a Mirafone Contra Bass rotary valve trombone in G!! Never could hear it, but it sure looked darn cool......
Mark

[modelerdc]

That sounds like it might have been Phil keen, a la based bass bone player who was a miraphone rep at one time.

[UDELBR]

this hand-supporting bar that I just added

You realize you just voided your warranty,

[TheHatTuba]

Bloke, how is the peg/stability on it?

[Donn]

Hi-
I remember in the good old days when the Ice Show ( Ice Capades or Ice Follies) would travel and used/hired a live band in each town. They actually would hire French horns and a tuba as part of the 'band.' The Conductor would 'double' with Conducting and then would pick up a Mirafone Contra Bass rotary valve trombone in G!! Never could hear it, but it sure looked darn cool......
Mark

I'd like to see a picture of that.

Me too. In the '80s, Miraphone had a 4V F bass valve trombone. Only saw the listings, but I don't remember anything about contrabass, just bass, and I assume it really was a valve bass trombone more or less like Cerveny's 576.

I suppose it's awkward to have both bass and contrabass valve trombones in the same key of F, though a merely nomenclatural problem as they're obviously quite distinct ... guess you'd have to call the larger bore instrument a cimbasso or something.

[UDELBR]

I'm considering installing a second floor peg (i.e. a bipod situation)

[tubamlb]

Bloke
Glade you are enjoying the Chimbasso ,I will have the factory install the Bloke Bars on the next instruments
If you come up with other ideas let me know

Thanks
M&M Instruments
Michael

[pjv]

Which brings me back to my original question before we got into yet another semantics tit-for-tat (BORING!); what work did you do on your contra-bone? The side arm. got it. You said, "the usual". No idea what that is but I am curious as to what you considered necessary tweaks.
Thanks,
Pat

[pjv]

THANKS!

[MartyNeilan]

- There was very minor vertical play in all 5 rotors (no lateral play and they fit very well). I removed that by shaving down the backs of the casings. I just do not like unnecessary clicking noises...EVEN IF they are nearly inconsequential.

Would machine screws in the back rotor caps (similar to what Mirafone has been doing for awhile) serve the same purpose?

[MackBrass]

Bloke, how is the peg/stability on it?

I see the bell wiggle very slightly when playing becomes more frantic, but that's probably just as much because the curved section into which the bell is attached is slightly flexible as much as anything else. I'm considering installing a second floor peg (i.e. a bipod situation), but I doubt that I will.

I played them at the conference at Jonathan's booth and thought they were great. I also noticed the bell wiggle and felt as though there is a removable brace that is needed in that spot to stabilize the upper part of the horn. Overall the horn was easy to play and had no major issues. Joes analysis on the intonation is very good and the first valve trigger is a great idea.

[Wyvern]

I am looking at adding extra bracing, but don't want to add too much so as to be detrimental to how the cimbasso plays.

However the next batch will have additional body bracing and change to bell bracing which will hopefully alleviate as well as looking rather stylish

[Lingon]

...Would machine screws in the back rotor caps...

There is a screw on the BBb cb trbn rotor cap, and it works very well, so maybe it would be possible to add them for this instrument too?