Picked up an Eb 1952 Boosey & Hawkes Imperial

[tbonesullivan]

I saw this tuba when it got listed on the Dillon Music website, but it didn't really have any information posted or pictures. I asked about that Yesterday, and well, it was exactly what I was looking for. Made in January 1952 according to serial number in the 180500 range. The 2nd branch was cut a bit to bring it to A:440. Matt said it plays well.

It has a small shank receiver, so I picked up a DW 3 for it. Even came with an older WWBW branded Reunion Blues gig bag. I haven't gotten a chance to take pictures of my own, so these are the ones from Dillon:



http://www.tbonesullivan.com/images/tro ... erial2.jpg

http://www.tbonesullivan.com/images/tro ... erial3.jpg

I'll post more once I figure out how to play Eb tuba. This will be perfect for Brass Band.

[roughrider]

You've picked up a real gem there! Have fun with it!

[tbonesullivan]

You've picked up a real gem there! Have fun with it!

I'm so glad I emailed them about it. Matt is great. He just fixed up the dents I put in my other tuba, and now they are going to fix the leadpipe angle on my Euph. I wish I had more work to give them. There's nothing wrong with my trombones, and I'm a cleaning freak with them. I also only play two of them currently, with the rest in "mothball".

[eeflattuba]

Our british brass band used to have a instrument like the one pictured except yours looks to be in much better shape.It was the first tuba i played on in a brass brand almost thirty years ago and it was a gem...wish we still had it in our inventory.Want to give Dillons more work?Have them swap out the mouthpiece receiver to a larger size so it can accept a mouthpiece like a denis wick 3L.Had this done with our imperial and it made a world of difference not only in opening the horn up but allows you way more mouthpiece choices.

[tbonesullivan]

Our british brass band used to a instrument like the one pictured except yours looks to be in much better shape.It was the first tuba i played on in a brass brand almost thirty years ago and it was a gem...wish we still had it in our inventory.Want to give Dillons more work?Have them swap out the mouthpiece receiver to a larger size so it can accept a mouthpiece like a denis wick 3L.Had this done with our imperial and it made a world of difference not only in opening the horn up but allows you way more mouthpiece choices.

Is there any real difference between the 3 and 3L besides the shank? I like the feel of it so far, not plugged into the horn.

I also worry that changing the shank may change how the mouthpiece throat interacts with the leadpipe taper.

[eeflattuba]

Our british brass band used to a instrument like the one pictured except yours looks to be in much better shape.It was the first tuba i played on in a brass brand almost thirty years ago and it was a gem...wish we still had it in our inventory.Want to give Dillons more work?Have them swap out the mouthpiece receiver to a larger size so it can accept a mouthpiece like a denis wick 3L.Had this done with our imperial and it made a world of difference not only in opening the horn up but allows you way more mouthpiece choices.

Is there any real difference between the 3 and 3L besides the shank? I like the feel of it so far, not plugged into the horn.

I also worry that changing the shank may change how the mouthpiece throat interacts with the leadpipe taper.

I used both a 3 and 3L on the imperial we owned before and after and i could not tell the difference.Instead of just swapping out the mouthpiece receiver my tech opted to put a whole new leadpipe on.This had no negative impact on the way the horn played.

[tbonesullivan]

I used both a 3 and 3L on the imperial we owned before and after and i could not tell the difference.Instead of just swapping out the mouthpiece receiver my tech opted to put a whole new leadpipe on.This had no negative impact on the way the horn played.

I'll definitely keep it in mind. First I need to learn how to play this relatively little guy.

[iiipopes]

Is there any real difference between the 3 and 3L besides the shank? I like the feel of it so far, not plugged into the horn.

I have played both. The only change is the larger outer diameter of the shank.

I also worry that changing the shank may change how the mouthpiece throat interacts with the leadpipe taper.

Usually, as set forth above, there is no change, or even change for the better. Others on the forum who have both replaced and played more receivers on more tubas than I have will have a better answer to this question.

[tbonesullivan]

Sweet! Expecting a full report after you get your sea legs with it.

Working on it! I think I'm better at getting a good sound on it than on my BBb already. That slow air stream thing keeps kicking my butt.

[tbonesullivan]

Yeah... you have to figure out volume vs. speed, and then it depends on the style of BBb. I've always wanted to play on of these small Eb's just to seeif it is as neat, handy, and fun as it appears. Looks like a fun tuba, and it's in nice shape!

I got a PM from the former owner, and it apparently was in use with the Royal Canadian Navy bands for some time before they got it. I love a horn with a nice history.

I'm mainly comparing it to my Yamaha YBB631 BBb compensating tuba. The Eb plays more like a "big euphonium". The BBb plays like... a tuba. This is nothing new though. I've always found it much easier to get a "tuba" sound out of a Eb than a BBb, even with the exact same mouthpiece.

[tbonesullivan]

So, got more into the nuts and bolts on this little guy. It does play quite nicely, with a good sound, or at least what I hear as a good sound. It slots well on all the partials, though I keep "overshooting" the Eb pedal note, and end up somewhere underneath that. The valve action on the top three valves is very nice, though they have metal valve guides, so they are a bit clacky. The side valve is "temperamental", probably from sitting around during the pandemic. I worked it a bunch, and its fine, and then suddenly it's stuck. I pulled the valve, used my casing brush, used my cleaning rod with cheese cloth, oiled it, and then it was fine for a while. I'm guessing there's some oxidation or scale that is working its way out and causing issues.

It's a great little guy, and now I need to get some nice easy tuba music to play on it. Maybe some Tschaikovsky, though the keys those are in may be less than fun.

[tbonesullivan]

Try some "cleaning vinegar" with the most tight-fitting (in the pkg.) brush in the Harbor Freight nylon brush assortment.

Cleaning vinegar is 20% more acidic than regular (food type) white vinegar, and should eventually dissolve the lime out of that 4th casing.

Thanks! It's behaving a lot better today.

Also the bell on it apparently was replaced, so the bell is 1952. The valve block has a 142*** serial number, so it is from 1933. That probably explains why it was originally low pitch, cut down to regular pitch.

[tbonesullivan]

Typically - "low pitch" instruments can be played up to (or nearly) A=440 (without alteration) whereas "high pitch" (which I absolutely have seen quite a few of with B&H/Besson) cannot be played down to A=440.

I'm only looking at a picture, but I'm not seeing evidence of bell replacement...and very few of the 15-inch bells (being small) were 'hopelessly trashed'.

The previous owner is the one who told me the bell had been replaced at some time, and the valve block and bell definitely have different serial numbers. There are definitely solder marks on the lower 2nd branch where it was shortened slightly.

I'll have a closer look at where the leadpipe joins to the valve block, and the attachment points for the bell. Maybe the entire bugle was swapped out.

[tbonesullivan]

I checked, and it's hard to see, but there definitely is polished solder around the bell fitting, so that joint at least was redone, so I'm pretty sure that the bell was replaced. How they managed to destroy such a bell beyond repair, who knows, but the current bell also has its share of deformation around the rim.

[tbonesullivan]

I'm never the least bit curious about any of my instruments' *provenance nor age...only their condition and playing characteristics.
______________________________
*When an instrument was formerly-owned by a person of high-regard, the key word is "formerly", and the reality is that they decided to not keep it. (This observation has nothing to do with your fine Besson E-flat, but could obliquely refer to another thread.)

I hope to be able to make some type of assessment on the sound soon. I'm still at the "I shouldn't have stopped playing brass instruments for 2 months" phase.

I've only got one "formerly" owned horn, an Bach 39 Alto trombone from the 1970s. I think it's had an owner or two between me and the big name, but it's also an alto, which most people buy and sell after not getting to use it for years. Also they are relatively small compared to current altos, so many go for a larger bore instrument. It does however have an incredible sound, and is in very nice condition. I have been waiting for the chance to actually play it with an orchestra for 8 years now, but eventually someone's gotta play the Mozart Requiem, right? Also definitely would be suitable for Beethoven. Now if only I wasn't stuck on Bass trombone.

[humBell]

I wouldn't know about such a recent instrument, but certainly older Boosey & Co, Distin, and Keefer normally have seperate serial numbers for the bell and the valve block.

Don't know enough about what their serial number practices were, but i think i have seen enough to personally be suspicious if they did match.

That said, play it well!