What is a Miraphone 185?

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Chuck(G)
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Post by Chuck(G) »

andrada wrote: The 163 can drive me nuts as you say. But every time I start to tell myself that I'm just a recreational duffer and this is supposed to be something I do for FUN, and I shouldn't be inflicting this much pain on myself I sit back and listen to it and it just sounds so nice....
I've been told that the new 163's are a bit better in the intonation department than the old ones. I finished refitting my old 163 BBb with ball-links (a bigger job than I'd first thought) and took it to orchestra rehearsal. It certainly has a great sound, but there was smoke coming out of my ears as I tried to remember what alternate fingerings made the thing work right for me.
:)
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Steve Inman
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Miraphones

Post by Steve Inman »

Klaus has (had) a scanned copy of an old Miraphone spec sheet that is quite useful. I also have it somewhere (maybe), but perhaps Klaus could post it or post a link to it.

IIRC:

model bore bell
old 184 .708 14 1/8
old 185 .730 15
old 186 .770 16.5
new 184 .708 15
new 186* .770 17.75

* for the past 15-20 years (maybe more)

So the new 184 should sound a lot like the old 185, due to the bell size.

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USStuba04
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Post by USStuba04 »

what happened to that website comparing the different Miraphones???
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Dan Schultz
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Post by Dan Schultz »

You can just about think of the numbers in terms of bell size. The 184 is 14"... The 185 is 15"... and the 186 is 16" (OLD STYLE bells... not 'zactly but thereabouts).
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Post by iiipopes »

Hmm. Is there any correlation between the 8X number and the i.d. of the main tuning slide in inches? (184 as .84" i.d. tuning slide, etc.?)
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Lew
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Re: What is a Miraphone 185?

Post by Lew »

MaryAnn wrote:...
And Bessons: reading the BBand tuba topic, someone stated that the 983 has front valves. Four front valves? The 981-2 have three upright + 1? Just trying to get it pictured.

MA
I play a Besson 983 and at this time I would call it my primary horn. I use it in a large concert band, a British Style Brass Band and 3 quintets. Yes, it has 4 front action compensating valves. You can see a photo of it here:

http://www.patricksheridan.com/
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MaryAnn
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Post by MaryAnn »

I seem to remember that Klaus had done a lot of fiddling with throats and backbores and had some opinions on what could be done with mouthpieces to change the characteristics of intonation....such as a sharp high range. But he seems to have disappeared again (rats, hope he is ok,) and I can't find the post that I think I remember.

Once I retire I'm sure my memory will come back at the same rate that I get to make up all the sleep I've lost the last few years.

MA
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IkeH
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Post by IkeH »

In my running-through-the-Miraphone-models period I had a nice 185(former TN Tech horn)that played and recorded nicely. Problem was I just couldn't get used to the live sound. Jim Self has used one since creation and they DO record like crazy but it just wasn't for me. I also had an old 3/4 Rudy later that was great and the intonation was no worse than the typical Miraphone of that period. Maybe better.

Ike
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Post by Uncle Buck »

DP wrote:what the hell is this? looks like a tuba, but nothing to actually identify what it is that you heard from someone was somehow similar to the 185's you've never played and a great basis for resurrecting a (dead) 3-year-old thread
Who peed in your Wheaties this morning?

In fact, it was someone other than Bob who resurrected the three-year-old thread. Bob was the third recent poster.

And I'm sure many readers recognized the picture as the Dalyan CC. I think Bob was trying to connect this already-resurrected thread to other recent threads discussing the Dalyan. He was just trying to do it a little more subtly than linking the threads. Nothing wrong with that.
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