Alexander Lore

[Chris Mayer]

here is a picture of the price list from 1981. In the catalogue, there were no pictures of the C Tubas mentioned in the price list. This was obviously pre model 173 time

there is a 5 valve 159. new model smal C tuba. although there is a reference to measures below, there is no spec listed. Due to the name, one can only speculate if the F tuba body was modified with a different bore and bell etc etc.

there is also a 168, same size as 163, but with the 3+2 valve set-up including different lengths of the valves.

chris

[Ted Cox]

Thank you for sharing that photo. So cool! It's amazing to see the double tuba as an option to buy.

[Chris Mayer]

I was told that these double tubas were going (mostly ?) to eastern europe or small theaters / orchestras who could not afford 2 tubas to play all the literature.

Played one alex double tuba in 2010/2011 and liked it (heavy and you could feel that pushing the valves, but there was a certain punch to the sound due to the mass of the valve section) and it did not feel stuffy at all. Of course it is a compromisse as B and F share the same mouthpipe and bell and hence the F was more fat then an F tuba (eg B&S, or Alex 157) and the B was smaller then the 163, but going from Vaughn williams to the walkyries in one second was fun (and any complaints about a weak low C can be eliminated...).

Eventally went for a 163, handmade and almost new to complement my PT-15 and Alex 156.

now beeing a french horn player with an almost similar or even larger number of models and types i sometimes get sentimental about my tuba playing time. At least, I play wagner tuba (F tube, Alpine sinfonie, Siegfrieds tod and next Bruckner 8th).

happy easter

chris

[MikeMason]

Never blown a single note into any Alex, but, would playing the b flat versions give you the sound without the intonation issues? And possibly be cheaper and more plentiful?

[Ted Cox]

It's not that simple Mike. All instruments and all different keys have their own tendencies and issues. You would most likely find more Bb tubas in Germany as opposed to CC tubas. The cost varies depending on number of valves. Typically you won't see too many Bb tubas with five valves.

[bort]

They are not more plentiful.

In fact, the gorgeous sound, build quality, and functionality lend them to not be resold. When people get a tuba they like, they keep it for a long time.

[pjv]

This is another picture of the double I made in 2019. When I was there they had two 163's in BBb and one in CC, one BBb 164 (which was indeed just finished for a customer) and several F's with various 5 valve tunings and also the F/CC double.

[pjv]

The older Bohemian Empire tubas had a badge on the bell. The six valve F had a characteristic totally different then the modern F's. It's a shame they aren't making these any more.

They are very busy at the factory but made time for a small tour. Because they are so busy, if you write to them they might take some time to answer any questions.

[Heavy_Metal]

pjv, the tuba in the bottom pic looks almost exactly like mine:

Alex10smaller.JPG

alexandersmall.JPG

Did they say how old it was, besides the Bohemian era??

[bort]

Here's the Alexander 159 that I was thinking about... Described as a modern small C tuba. What's interesting there, is that it seems to not be a "B or C" tuba, but C only. I'm not sure how long this lasted, or if it was replaced by the 173.(which is also only offered in C). I've only ever seen one 173 before, which Dale Phelps sold here a long time ago. A gorgeous tuba, and no, not much smaller than a 163.

159 stuff from the Klaus archives:

[bort]

pjv, the tuba in the bottom pic looks almost exactly like mine:

Alex10smaller.JPG

alexandersmall.JPG

Did they say how old it was, besides the Bohemian era??

This one was in the page of Klaus' photos. Pre-1919 doesn't help much, but perhaps still of interest if you hadn't already seen it:

https://yorkmaster.org/yorkmaster/photo ... index.html

[Heavy_Metal]

Bort-

That is not a Kaiser. It is actually my tuba. In the second pic, you can see a patch on the bell stack, and one on the upper bow- same as on mine. And there's a joint on the third valve loop that's not straight- mine.

Also the S-links have been replaced by more-modern ones. This was done when TubeNetter "Tabor" had it- the S-links were in such bad shape that they couldn't do much with them. He had bought it from a pastor who had had it maybe since the 1970s.

Tabor and I have corresponded about this horn. He says it was in rather bad shape when he first got it, so he sent it off to Dan "TubaTinker" Schultz to get it in playing condition. It appears on Dan's site, here (scroll down):

http://thevillagetinker.com/Misc%20stuff.htm" target="_blank

Later he traded it in to Tom McGrady at Mack Brass. From the date shown, the pics on Klaus's site may have been taken there (Tom?). For some reason, Tom consigned it at Baltimore Brass in 2014 instead of selling it at his own shop, and that's where I found it. At the same time, the late great Dave Bragunier's 163CC was for sale, and my section-mate "big1096" bought that one.

Several years ago, I had the valves overhauled. When that was finished, according to the gentleman who did the job, it played something like a modern 163 but with more focus.

This tuba has obviously had a bit of a rough life, and I'll bet it could tell some stories. But with all the work its most recent owners have given it, it's probably (hopefully) good for another 100 years.

[Ted Cox]

43 years of Alexander valve caps.
Top left, 1960.
Top right, 1963.
Bottom left, 1980.
Bottom right, 2004.
I think you'll agree the 1960 valve cap is the most beautiful.
Also, just for fun, the original mouthpiece that came with my 1963 163.
Apologies for not being a better photographer.

[bort]

That's awesome, thanks Ted!

I may have mentioned at some point, when I bought my tuba from Lee, he said he thinks that the valves on my tuba may actually be Hirsbrunner valves (based on his experience, and for the excellent feel of the valves). It's hard to know for sure, but perhaps this would explain the lack of engraving on the valve caps (they are smooth and shiny). I'll get a picture when I can. The only clue is that the paddle bar is stamped with the word "TRYPLEN," which could obviously point to HB... except that the valves in the tuba are metal, not tryplen... and I understand that around that same era, some Alexander tubas did have Tryplen valves. I'll have to measure the bore, and see if it's any different than the expected .808".

[Chris Mayer]

Ted,

just curious, how does this mouthpiece work and sound on the 163 ? I saw such a mouthpiece some 30 years ago at Alex in Mainz, but had not tried it. I was
always wondering what the concept behind such a design was (shallow cup, small bore ? and larger cup diameter).

Chris

[Ted Cox]

Somehow I knew someone would ask me about this mouthpiece. I've owned it for 28 years and have played a total of one minute, give or take, on it. Shallow cup and small back-bore.
It no longer fits any of my tubas, so it's been some time since I played it. What I remember was it was better than one would think.

[Heavy_Metal]

43 years of Alexander valve caps.
Top left, 1960.
Top right, 1963.
Bottom left, 1980.
Bottom right, 2004.
I think you'll agree the 1960 valve cap is the most beautiful.
Also, just for fun, the original mouthpiece that came with my 1963 163.
Apologies for not being a better photographer.

They look fine, Ted. Thanks for starting this thread. Here are the caps on mine:

[bort]

Mine:

[tmmcas1]

IMG_2032-1.jpeg

Dana Hofer just finished overhauling my 163 BBb along with a uniball conversion. I sent extensive pictures to Alexander and they date it to late 1950's, early 1960's. Return shipping is currently been delayed due to world events. I can't wait to get it back!

Tom

[cjk]

Can someone confirm this is an Alexander F tuba? Anyone know who the player is?

https://youtu.be/8_yczdxD3PM" target="_blank

EDIT:
Lol. The description says Alexander 157. It's the only thing in the description i can actually read.