So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

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adsteve
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Re: So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

Post by adsteve »

I have owned 9 and I intend to not hit double digits.

2001-2006 Yamaha YCB 661 Piggy CC
2002-2013 B&S Perantucci Model F
2006-2010 B&S PT-20 CC (this horn was an absolute dog)
2010-2015 Miraphone 1291 CC
2013-2015 Yamaha 822 F
2015-2017 Yamaha YCB 621 CC (sold both of my horns due to focal dystonia and went with one horn)
2017 Eastman 632 CC
2018 Gronitz PF125 F (current horn)
2018 Mirafone 188 CC (current horn and the first time in my dystonia recovery I felt justified in owning two horns)

I am incredibly happy with my current setup and do not intend to purchase anymore horns. Famous last words, right?
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Re: So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

Post by ScottM »

I presently own 4 tubas
Mirafone 184 4 valve ( lives at our cabin) from 1972
Mirafone 184 5 valve Gets lots of playing time. I bought used but is from 1974
PT20P 5 valve I use when I need more or different sound for various groups. I bought it used but I don't think it got played much. Plays well and like it.
Conn 14j Eflat Director model (presently for sale - someone please buy it)
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phaymore
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Re: So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

Post by phaymore »

St. Petersberg 201N BBb - sold
Yamaha YEB 632 Eb - sold
King 2341 BBb - sold
Miraphone 1291 5V BBb - sold
Conn 19J Eb - for sale
John Packer 377 Eb - for sale
B&S PT 22P Eb
Patrick Haymore
-----------------------
B&S PT-22 Eb
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Re: So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

Post by tclements »

Meinl Weston Bill Bell Model
Mirafone 186-5U CC
Mirafone 183-4U Eb
Mirafone 184-5U
Mirafone 180-5U F
Mirafone 188-5U "Anniversary" Model
Mirafone "Bruckner"
Hirsbrunner HB-2
Hirsbrunner HB2P
Hirsbrunner HB-50
Gronitz PCK
Gronitz PCM (currently)
Gronitz FZ-127
Gronitz PF-125
Gronitz custom PCM DD/CC tuba (currently)
Alexander 173 CC
Alexander 163 CC (6 valve)
Alexander 156
Meinl Weston Norm Pearson (currently)
Meinl Weston Tuono (currently)
Meinl Weston Baer 6450 (currently)
Meinl Weston 2260RA
Yamaha YFB-822
Yamaha YFB-641 (currently)
Yamaha YCB-661
Yamaha YEB-321
Rudy Meinl 5/4 CC
Rudy Meinl 3/4 CC
Willson 3050RZ
Walter Nirschl "York" Model
B&S JBL Classic
Holton 345 BBb
OLD B&S 4/4 CC

Various and sundry euphoniums, bass trumpets and bass trombones
Last edited by tclements on Fri Feb 08, 2019 5:32 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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bort
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Re: So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

Post by bort »

How many have I owned? The answer is always "1 less than I'm about to have owned."

Here's my list, in chronological order. I also played a B&S PT3 for about 3 years in college, but I didn't own that one.

Olds 99
VMI 4/4 CC (Meinl Weston 30)
Miraphone 1291
Marzan 5/4 CC
Miraphone 188 "Anniversary" Model
Cerveny 653
Rudy Meinl 4/4
B&S Neptune
Willson 3050RZ
B&S PT-7 (current)
Heavy_Metal
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Re: So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

Post by Heavy_Metal »

I'll have to show this thread to The Lovely Naoko, so she can see there really are people who own more tubas than me :shock:

Besides the ones in my signature, I had a little Besson 787 BBb for a while, and a Buescher 4-piston Eb that I got as part of a deal. They have both found new homes with the help of Baltimore Brass.

The Sonora was the first one I owned. My main horn now is (of course) the Alexander.
Principal tuba, Bel Air Community Band
Old (early 1900s?) Alexander BBb proto-163
1976 Sonora (B&S 101) 4-rotor BBb
1964 Conn 20J/21J BBb (one body, both bells)
1970s Marzan Slant-rotor BBb
~1904 York 3P BBb Helicon
Old Alex Comp.F, in shop
Mark Horne
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Re: So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

Post by Mark Horne »

I started teaching myself tuba in 2008 after many years of playing other brass, primarily horn. My equipment journey has been as follows:

Cerveny 681 5V CC (sold)
Alexander 163 5V CC (current)
VMI (B&S) Neptune 5V CC (current)
Mirafone 186 4V CC (sold)
Meinl Weston 45 5V F (sold)
B&S PT-3 5V CC (current)
Miraphone Firebird 6V F (sold)
Kalison Pro 2000 5V CC (sold)
Willson 3200S 5V F (sold)
Miraphone 186 5V CC (sold)
B&S Symphonie 6V F (current)
Alexander 164 5V BBb (sold)
B&S PT-20 5V CC (for sale)
Alexander 156 6V (3+3 customized) F (current)
Miraphone 1291 5V CC (sold)
Gronitz PCK 5V CC (current)
Yamaha 822S 5V CC (sold)
Meinl Weston Tuono 5V CC (for sale)
Kalison Daryl Smith 5V CC (for sale)
Meinl Weston 45SLP 5V F (for sale)
Alexander 163 CC 5V, MW Thor, Mel Culbertson Neptune, B&S Symphonie F 6V
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SousaShark
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Re: So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

Post by SousaShark »

Two.

An old 3/4 Conn given to me by my late band director from Highschool, and a Stumpy from Wessex.
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Gus_Pratt
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Re: So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

Post by Gus_Pratt »

Well as a hobby, I buy tubas off eBay and do minor repairs if needed and resell them, so I have owned quite a few. I did this some when I was younger, but stopped for about 15 years. I got back into this hobby in June 2017. Currently, I try only to purchase tubas for less then $500 that I can sell in the $750-1000 range. To put into perspective how many tubas I have likely owned, since mid 2017 I have bought 19 tubas. Of those, I have sold 11, and still have 8. 5 are playable, 3 need work. I used to get anxiety if I have too many tubas, until summer/fall of 2017 when I sold 5 tubas in 6 weeks.
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Re: So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

Post by bearphonium »

2007 3/4 3 valve bell front York Master that I bought here (donated to a local high school)
2009 3/4 VMI 201 silver 4 valve that I bought here (back up horn)
2012 King brass sousaphone from 1962 gifted to me (current horn)
2014 Mirafone 186 that was gifted to me (current horn)

I also have a Conn 19 I euphonium and a brand unknown french horn, both in the hands of a good friend who plays them both.
Mirafone 186 BBb
VMI 201 3/4 BBb
King Sousaphone
Conn 19I 4-valve non-comp Euph


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ken k
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Re: So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

Post by ken k »

I bought my first tuba with one of my first teaching job paychecks in 1981 a Conn 5J
Replaced that with a Boosey & Hawkes Imperial Eb in 1985, which I played as my only horn for 32 years.

Over the years I bought and sold a few cheap sousaphones (that I barely recall) until I finally purchased a nice Pan American Helicon from Harv Hartman around 2005

i bought a few other tubas over the years that I did not keep for long. I bought them with the intention of eventually selling to students, a few King 2341s, Czerveny Piggy CC, St Pete 201.
I had a brief encounter with a BAT Conn 36J, (way too big and heavy)

Bought an cheap old Buescher bell front BBb from a friend's father's estate and turned it into my Dr. Suess-a-phone.

REcently I replaced my B&H with a Norwegian Star Eb and finally bought a nice BBb, a Miraphone 187
Yamaha YEB-381
Mirafone 187 BBb
1919 Pan American BBb Helicon
1924 Buescher BBb tuba (Dr. Suessaphone)
Black plastic Coolwind BBb tuba
2001 Mazda Miata
2006 Suzuki Burgman 650
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PeteDenton
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Re: So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

Post by PeteDenton »

I really should stop buying. This list now is:

1981 - 1983 Boosey & Hawkes Imperial 3v Eb (Compensating) 15" bell
1983 - 1985 Boosey & Haweks Imperial 4v Eb (3+1 Compensating) 15" bell
1985 - 1991 Bessson 981 Sovereign EEb
1987 - present Miraphone 188 CC 5v
1989 - 1993 Miraphone 190 BBb 5v
1991 - 1994 Miraphone 180 F 5v
1993 - present Conn 24J BBb
1994 - 1996 Yamaha YCB 621 CC
2017 - present Mack Brass F Travel Tuba
2018 - present Wessex Excelsior BBb (3+1 Compensating)
2018 - present Miraphone 481 Elektra F
2019 - present Besson 982 Sovereign EEb
2019 - present Boosey & Hawkes Imperial Bb Euphonium
2019 - present Wessex Excelsior BBb prototype
2019 - present Miraphone 496 Hagen BBb

Almost certainly more varied than your average UK tuba player..
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The Big Ben
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Re: So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

Post by The Big Ben »

7.

6 different BBb horns, i Eb.

King 1140
King 2340
King 2341
Mira 186
Mira Perinet Standard (3v)
Oldsmobile 099-4
Amati Peashooter Eb

Presently, Perinet, 2341, Oldsmobile
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groth
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Re: So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

Post by groth »

1- 1930's Buescher recording bass, 1- Grand Rapids Band Instruments top action BBb, 5- King 1241/2341's, 2- Amati 481's, 5- Mirafone 186's (all years), 2- Schillers, 5-St. Pete's, 1- Leningrad (3 valve), 1- Dillon Meinl Weston clone, 1- Jupiter 582, 1- Lignatone 4-valve rotary BBb, 1- Sander's Artist (German Made), 1 Frankenhorn made by Tabor...and a partridge in a pear tree.
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anotherjtm2
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Re: So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

Post by anotherjtm2 »

I'm not quite sure why this is a thing, but the answers help me believe I haven't gone overboard, yet.

2019 - used (1965) Mirafone 186 BBb with removable recording bell and aftermarket (Yamaha) upright bell
2020 - used (c. 2000?) B&S Musica C 5v

I thought I'd be set for quite a while with the 186, but the Musica was too good a deal to resist.
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Re: So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

Post by WC8KCY »

I own three, which are the only three I've ever owned:
Holton Monster E-flat - satin silver
Martin Indiana E-flat sousaphone - raw brass
Schiller JBBB-520 3/4 BB-flat - lacquer
jasoncatchpowle
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Re: So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

Post by jasoncatchpowle »

I’ve owned far too many...

Besson 981 Eb
Wilson 3400 Eb
Meinl Weston Thor
Meinl Weston 2250
Meinl Weston 2165
Willson 3200 rotor F
Nirschl York 6/4
B&S symphonie
B&S PT6
Meinl Weston Thor no.2
Meinl Weston 2165 again..
Meinl Weston 45S
Eastman 6/4

I’ve finally found my happy place with the 45S and Eastman. The knot has been tied to those two horns ❤️
Bnich93
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Re: So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

Post by Bnich93 »

HN White American Standard Eb
B&S PT4 CC
Mirafone 181 F
Hirsbrunner HB50 CC
JP Sterling 377s EEb

Hopefully the current lineup will be my forever lineup.
Hirsbrunner HB50 w/Warburton 30DL
John Packer 377s w/Parker Cantabile
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Tubajug
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Re: So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

Post by Tubajug »

Previously owned:
- Miraphone 186 CC
- Conn 12J
- King 1240
- Bach 869
- Yamaha YBB-103
- Lyon and Healey Eb

Currently own:
- King 2341 (with Holton Monster Eb bell)
- H. N. White King Eb (being converted to front action with 5 valves)
- Martin Medium Eb helicon
- Conn 14K sousaphone (in pieces)

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the sousaphone. I might just fix it up and use it, or turn it into a helicon, but having two for the little amount of playing I do is probably unnecessary.
Jordan
King 2341 with a Holton "Monster" Eb bell
Eb Frankentuba
Martin Medium Eb Helicon

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KingBassTrombone
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Re: So how many Tubas have YOU owned?

Post by KingBassTrombone »

I've had the following tubas enter and leave my herd, in chronological order from first tuba to most recently acquired.

Buescher Eb helicon
Besson 221 BBb recording bell 3v non-comp
H.N.White 1235 Eb fixed recording bell
King 2341 old-style upright bell
C.G.Conn BBb helicon
Couesnon BBb
Conn 26K with King 4v block
Conn 20J

I still own the 26K, the Conn helicon, and the 20J. Total count: 8
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