I just bought a doofus-looking recording Besson BBb

[Three Valves]

Mr. Bloke,

I need a CC tuba for Kolij.

How much would it cost to cut that one down for me??

Which mouthpiece to you recommend??

[The Big Ben]

How much more and how better would it be if it was silver plated? How does it compare with Chinese tubas?

[Matt Walters]

Do you think you could make one of those left handed for only a few hundred dollars more?

[Three Valves]

Can the piston valves be switched out for those new-fangled Z valves??

If so, what are the legal ramifications for end users of an illegally copied or pirated technology??

[iiipopes]

Can you combine the valve blocks and splice the bells together for a sub-contra Z pitched bi-directional sub-bloke-o-phone?

[Ken Herrick]

I have often thought what would make a really good 'comp' tuba would be simply adding a 4th valve to a 3 valve comp. This would give the good tuning inherent in the 3 valve compensating system with the extended low range gained with the 4th valve. With a longer than normal 4th circuit and possibly a tuning trigger an in tune chromatic range down to the pedal range would be achieved.

In the early 60's the 3 valve Bessons were very well regarded as good sounding, "in tune" instruments. I used one in HS prior to getting my first King monster rotary. I agree that the 'preferred" notes were very good on that recording bell instrument.

A line of 6 or 8 of those big Bessons at the back of a big symphonic band such as the University of Illinois bands of that era was rather impressive visually and sound wise.

Maybe it is worth mentioning that they came with a Sousaphone style bit. The factory original took British shank but American size were available. This greatly improved ergonomics and certainly did not harm playing characteristics.

[Steve Marcus]

My high school only had those awful, dinky convertible tubas of now forgotten brand name.

When we did an exchange workshop and concert with a high school band that travelled 150 miles to share the weekend with our band, their two tubists were playing those big Besson 4-valve recording basses. I remember how thrilled I was when I received permission to play one of those for a reading session on Friday evening. It was my first experience with a recording bass. I felt on top of the world playing that big, powerful horn.

[iiipopes]

I have often thought what would make a really good 'comp' tuba would be simply adding a 4th valve to a 3 valve comp. This would give the good tuning inherent in the 3 valve compensating system with the extended low range gained with the 4th valve. With a longer than normal 4th circuit and possibly a tuning trigger an in tune chromatic range down to the pedal range would be achieved.

In the early 60's the 3 valve Bessons were very well regarded as good sounding, "in tune" instruments. I used one in HS prior to getting my first King monster rotary. I agree that the 'preferred" notes were very good on that recording bell instrument.

A line of 6 or 8 of those big Bessons at the back of a big symphonic band such as the University of Illinois bands of that era was rather impressive visually and sound wise.

Maybe it is worth mentioning that they came with a Sousaphone style bit. The factory original took British shank but American size were available. This greatly improved ergonomics and certainly did not harm playing characteristics.

Some years ago I had a @1971 New Standard BBb 3-valve comp, with the traditional 17" upright bell, and for a few years I considered all sorts of ways to try to extend the near-pedal range, whether grafting in a 4th valve somewhere along the pipe from the valve block to the main tuning slide, or elsewhere. Then I considered a dependent valve, but to what pitch - Eb, D, Db? Finally, with the lack of a true usable open BBb pedal tone, even if I could shoehorn enough tubing in to get the intermediate pitches, and that the cost of modifications would have been a multiple of what the tuba cost me in the first place, I left well enough alone: a perfect brass band and concert band tuba, with a usable range of E below open BBb to the top of the staff, with a Wick 1 mouthpiece, with the only work-around being a stuffy C and B nat below the staff that took care to intonate, but absolutely no pitch issues.

[The Big Ben]

Are you going to hang a Bloke-o-Vision camera on the edge of the bell so you can see the conductor?

[dave_matheson]

[quote="bloke"]powerful/wonderful sound...great intonation...' is making me smile

This one's a 3-valve comp... ("fake" notes are strong with the 24" recording bell) ...so (I suppose, then...??) I defacto have SIX Besson compensating tubas sitting here.

bloke "...and, actually, these doofus-looking recording bell Besson BBb tubas are NOT as doofus-looking from the FRONT as they are from the side-view or back-view. They actually look 'good' from the front."

-> two thumbs up <- " yep " ... I love mine

[Heavy_Metal]

............ sounds like the voice of God.

You mean like an Alexander?

...with all the chit-chat here over ALL of our various tubas... The ONLY TWO people who NOTICED this tuba at the gig[/color] were the- bass trombone player- (MUCH later) principal trombone player

Maybe they're used to you bringing different tubas so they weren't paying attention

But seriously, folks- I have a much smaller Besson which I like very much for very small group playing. For anyone looking to try one of these, here's a relatively cheap one on eBay that is supposed to be playable:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BESSON-BBb-TUBA ... 3aad438361" target="_blank

[Donn]

The ONLY TWO people who NOTICED this tuba at the gig were the
- bass trombone player
- (MUCH later) principal trombone player

There's lots of things people notice and don't say nothing.

[Heavy_Metal]

naw...

This $500 beat-up old Besson (not $5000, as buyers of beat-up old Alexanders typically pay) actually plays pretty well in tune.

Then it would fit right into our three-Alexander section...... and besides, we got much better deals on our recently purchased non-beat-up Alexanders.

(turns cannon around like the Russians did after thawing out the abandoned French cannon at the end of "1812")