new orleans history?

[Dan Schultz]

This is an edit....

At first I thought the listing was legit. After looking at a few images from Preservation Hall... I see that the Preservation Hall horn IS NOT a short-action Conn. Of course... there may have been several sousaphones with the logo on the bell.

Jon Gross may be able to shed some light on the horn. I think he is on the forum.

[Three Valves]

Fortunately, the seller is very forthcoming...

This old tuba is painted with New Orleans preservation hall lettering. I assume this is something someone painted up as a display piece but since I bought it at an auction, I have NO idea of the history. Not even sure what the preservation hall was but I assume it was some New Orleans band that was famous in times past.

This tuba is in rough shape but would look great on the wall of a cracker barrel Zaxby's Applebees or other restaraunt. I assume it is beyond restoration as a playable instrument.

Doesn't that just about say everything??

[TubaRay]

Fortunately, the seller is very forthcoming...

This old tuba is painted with New Orleans preservation hall lettering. I assume this is something someone painted up as a display piece but since I bought it at an auction, I have NO idea of the history. Not even sure what the preservation hall was but I assume it was some New Orleans band that was famous in times past.

This tuba is in rough shape but would look great on the wall of a cracker barrel Zaxby's Applebees or other restaraunt. I assume it is beyond restoration as a playable instrument.

Doesn't that just about say everything??

Kudos for the honesty of the seller!

[eupher61]

Like Dan, I don't remember ever seeing anyone with PHJB playing a short stroke Conn. The gallery page shows Ben playing a couple different souzies, but neither in that condition and neither a Conn that I can tell. One looks like a newer Jupiter, one like an old old Holton. None of the pictures show anyone playing such a thing as in this picture. But, there was never only 1 tuba player in the PHJB, so anyone who got called to play with the band for a funeral or a show or whatever, could have legitimately had the logo on his bell. It isn't one of the instruments used by a regular, at least. Al Jaffe played a helicon.

[Tom]

I have seen Preservation Hall Jazz Band many times and have worked with them a few times as a concert presenter. Every time I've seen them the "tubas" are different. I've seen a helicon (Conn, I think), a Holton sousaphone, a regular -valved Conn sousaphone (not 20K), fiberglass Conns, and most recently (2013) there were two tuba players. One had a newish Jupiter and Ben was playing on an older sousaphone that was some kind of [probably] stencil that had an Italian brand name on the bell.

The 20K at auction has the same lettering on the bell that all of the others I've seen have, and is probably a "real" ex-Preservation Hall instrument though it goes back quite a few years as it's not one I've seen in the last 15 years or so that I've seen them.