Vintage 1880's SR Leland & Son Eb Tuba - Worchester, Mass

[Bob Bigalard]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1880s-S ... 3aa2d6f3c7" target="_blank

Is this a good deal? I'm doing some dixieland gigs and I need a good american style tuba

[ghmerrill]

Nice looking horn. Now for the critical question ...

What do you suppose the pitch of that instrument is? I'd wager a lot that it's not A=440. My bet would be "high pitch". This means you wouldn't be able to play in tune in those Dixieland gigs.

Whether it's a good deal is up to you and what you want it for. As an antique "period piece" it looks really nice. To get it to play in tune with a contemporary ensemble ... well ... that's an entirely different story.

[J.c. Sherman]

For Worcester, it's just as likely to be Low pitch... which could range from A=435-438. Nifty horn, but...

[iiipopes]

It is also likely that the receiver is the small size, taking mouthpieces such as a Wick numbered, but not lettered, e.g. Wick 3.

[ghmerrill]

If it's low pitch, you can fix that with Mr. Hacksaw. My Buescher was 435. Not any more .

Still not the greatest horn on the planet (it never was), but it's a blast to play, and the Wick 5 works well in the original receiver. Very good false tones.

[Bob Bigalard]

Ok, I'll look for something more modern. I just thought this one loomed good because it had free shipping and free return shipping. What price range do Eb tubas usually sell for?