Why did you buy a vintage tuba to perform with? (A poll!)

[imperialbari]

Lust.

[aqualung]

To have something cool to bring to TubaChristmas.

[opus37]

This is a new car/vintage car question. I own both a new horns and vintage horns. The new horns are wonderful to play. The vintage horns are fun to collect, restore, learn the history about and play during tuba Christmas or other special events.

[groovlow]

Period music ?
Period instrument!
If the horn$ are available why not?
Joe

[ghmerrill]

I think there is something both neat and appropriate about showing up for July 4, Memorial Day, and Veterans day concerts with a genuine 90-year old American tuba. In my case, the sound doesn't compare to my Chinese-made Wessex Besson clone, and the intonation requires some attention, but for the pieces played on those occasions, the "ambiance" of the Buescher is much better, especially with a red/white/blue ribbon stuck on the front.

I also use it at Tuba Christmas a lot. It's easy to carry and I don't have to worry much about damaging it. It's also not bad in some jazz and Dixieland stuff. It's a piece of Americana.

[bort]

Uniqueness... I used to own a 1970 Marzan, and I liked it because its not something you see every day. Great sound, just not MY sound.

[Dan Schultz]

The obvious answer in this poll is 'other'. I just got back into playing about twenty years ago and there didn't seem to be very many choices other than the obvious.... find an older horn and fix it up. I suppose if I had $30,000 at my disposal I could have sought out a GENUINE Nirschle or Rudolph Meinl but I neither had that kind of money to spend nor did I have the experience to make such a choice.

As it was... I stumbled across some of the greatest horns ever known and have added them to my 'collection' over the years. The newest horn I own is a ten-year-old Miraphone 1291 and buying it was only a matter of being in the right place at the right time and knowing that the name alone was enough to make it a desirable tuba.

I've owned (and currently own) a LOT of tubas. I've tried most of the current offerings and have yet to find one (other than the very high-end tubas) that measures up. When I leave the house I'm most apt to have one of the following horns with me:
- King 2341 with a removable recording bell.
- Marzan 'slant-rotor' BBb.
- Marzan piston BBb.
- King 1291 'monster' rotary BBb.
- St. Pete (pre-WW2) with five rotors BBb.
- Miraphone 1291 (four pistons-one rotor) BBb.
- Selmer 'Signet' fiberglass BBb sousaphone.
(No.... the Conn 'jumbo' hardly ever leaves the house any more but is still fun to own).

All except the Miraphone 1291 are bona-fide 'antiques'. Bright and shiny doesn't mean much to me.

Besides... as Ken mentioned... having someone say "What the hell is that?" at TubaChristmas is fun!

[PaulMaybery]

I've gone through a few great horns in my 50 years of playing. The most notable was a 1940 King CC, string action rotary. I knew they were great sounding horns. My teacher Abe Torchinsky in the Philly Orch used one for over 20 years. I coveted the sound and the looks of that sweet little beast. Admittedly, that was a case of worshipping a star player and trying to emulate them by using the same equipment. They were also very rare and I felt special in that I owned one. I was young and impressionable. However the horn was a great one, but by modern standards there are much better tools out on the market these days. Arguably it had a great sound, but maneuvering the thing, in my estimation took much way too much work, and detracted from the accuracy of my playing. After close to 40 years of off-and-on-again frustration I finally let go of it. I miss the old friend, but quite honestly not the awkwardness of trying to make it work for me.
Yes, I admit to "hero worship" in my younger days. I really do not regret the whole episode.

[Heavy_Metal]

I had always liked the way Alexanders sound, so when one came up at a price I could afford, I tried it out, liked it and immediately bought it. Didn't matter that it was so old- the techs at Baltimore Brass are there when I need them.

The 20J was the other one I'd encountered before, and liked. It's the best one I have for outdoor performances where there is no acoustical shell to direct the sound toward the audience.

[Bob Bigalard]

Awesome satin-silver plating and beautiful engravings

Enough said

[gregsundt]

1. My teacher played a Rudy, and I had played a bunch of them at Custom while working there.
2. This particular 4/4 model was already vintage when I bought it in 1985. Despite having taken a nasty fall during shipping, it played and sounded better than the newer 4/4s.
3. Because it was a demo, and because I had an inside, the price was very right. Even though Fred knew I liked it, I got a deal.

One of two tubas I never should have sold. The vagaries of home economics got the best of me.

[roughrider]

The King "Symphony Bass" tuba that I perform with is now nearly 80 years old. It was given to me as a gift by my mom and dad when I was 15 years old. I have played this horn in several different groups and it is now my go to "axe" for the Concordia Brass German band here in the city. I certainly did not understand how good this horn was when I first received it. Now I know the quality and workmanship that went into producing such a great sounding 3 valve tuba. I play two other horns and while they are fine, they do not match up totally with the King. My mom and dad are both gone now and every time I play that King tuba, I thank them. The purchase of that tuba in the summer of 1975 was the best $250.00 that was ever spent on me.

[ken k]

bought my Boosey & Hawkes Eb in 1984 so i guess it is now vintage. It was used when I bought it also!

my Dr. Suessaphone Buescher fm 1919 was $200!

Always wanted a vintage helicon, 1924 Pan American is the best horn I have ever played. i wish I could find an upright concert tuba that plays as well as this baby...


kk

[Steve Marcus]

I perform on my Jumbo sousaphone for most non-classical engagements (trad jazz/Dixieland, Balkan, klezmer, other "ethnic" music, funk/alternative, etc.) unless a concert tuba, especially a bass tuba (or a cimbasso, if I had one), is clearly preferred (big band/"modern" jazz, etc.). I've even been foolish enough to carry its 50 pounds on strolling/processional jobs.

The reason is that its tone is so rich and warm. Yes, the amount of sound/input ratio is quite high, and without distortion.

The visual effect is undeniably a factor; a sousaphone has been definitely preferred for some "unique" or "uncommon" ensembles.

Any of us below a certain height often hear, "That thing is bigger than you are" when we're playing or carrying our tuba/sousaphone. In this case, the Jumbo truly is a bit taller than I am.

I don't own any horns on which I do not perform. I do not have the financial resources nor the space in my home for instruments that are primarily for display (although there is nothing wrong with collecting instruments).

[opus37]

My nostalgia horn is a 1912 Martin Monster Eb. My wife bought it for me at an auction when she was 9.5 months pregnant with our son almost 40 years ago. She paid $20 for it. The auctioneer wanted to raise the price, but she faked labor pains and he relented quickly. I have since put more money than it's worth into restoring it. I play the horn weekly during the summer with the old city band I have played in since high school. It is perfect for that setting and the old marches that are peppered throughout each concert. I clean and polish it each year before the season of concerts. It still shines like it is new.

[Sam Gnagey]

I bought my vintage Sander CC for a couple reasons:
I had the opportunity to play one about 50 years ago when I was playing in the Greenville (OH) concert band beside Robert Woodbury who was a student of Sammy Greene's. Bob is a great musician who owned a Sander like one of Sammy's. I thought it was a beautifully made and beautiful sounding instrument and intriguing because of the strange 4th valve (2&3) length.
And I've always been interested in what my predecessor tubists had to deal with in their available horns. I bought this Sander and several others (ophicleide, 6 valve Vienesse F and other 19th century) to experience that. This Sander represents to me what monumental tubists like Heleberg and Geib were playing early last century. It's a great and rare insight that I treasure.

[bort]

Sam, that sounds really cool. Could you post a photo?

[TubaSteve]

My Reynolds collection are all vintage horns. My favorite is my oldest, (early 50's Sousaphone.) The other Sousaphone is about 4 years newer, and is also a great playing horn. Fantastic sound, even intonation, blend so well.....so much fun to play. The recording bass horns are next. The oldest is a 64 that was one of the last built in Cleveland before production moved to Abilene Texas. This horn is a real player! This has some slight pipe differences from the Texas built horn, and does play better. It does have a new lead pipe, and truthfully, that may be the difference. My Eb Recording Bass is rarely played. Usually one of the other band members uses it for outside gigs over the 4th etc. My Holton 350 is still at Lee Stofers, so I don't have any experience with it to say how it plays.

Steve

[hbcrandy]

I play a modified 1912, J. W. York Monster Eb tuba as my bass tuba. I play it because of the large, dark York sound. The modifications are the larger .687" valves and valve plumbing. a larger taper in the lead pipe and a Meinl Weston 5th valve. The bell and large plumbing is all York. It has played Symphony Fantastique, Rite of Spring and Symphony in D Minor to name a few.

[tokuno]

Many tubas/cars/golf clubs/houses/hamburgers/push brooms aren't very good...
...Every single one of those things, though, belongs to someone.

Acquaintance of mine once said of his wife, "She's not perfect - no one is - but she's perfect for me."