What's wrong with this picture?

[imperialbari]

This photo from the Amati/Cerveny website reveals, that it is the shape of the 3 first paddles, which has been (ex-)changed.

I don't get your maint point.

Is it something about the lightening, which hides the profile of the bottom bow and hides the leadpipe?

Klaus

[smurphius]

it definately is a darker cloth than what they normally do on the tubaexchange. however, i still cannot come up with what they're hiding. you know, looking closer, it almost doesn't look like the first valve rod is attached to the paddle!

[imperialbari]

A strong enlargement in Photoshop didn't reveal picture doctoring to me.

However: this instrument hardly will be playable in the presented state.

The bow of the main tuning slide is flattened to a degree, which hardly will allow for a sufficient air passage. When one realises the shine from the main bottom bow, then this flattening becomes very evident.

The 3 first paddles have not been exchanged. Rather they have guitar or bass plectrums glued onto them..

Klaus

[CJ Krause]

***

[dwaskew]

just looks like one of the older (maybe 80's vintage) piggy's. The 4th valve spatula is the one that's been changed--those older ones had the larger, rounder spatulas.

so, what's your answer?

[gwwilk]

[Jay Bertolet]

My guess is that it isn't the original bell at all. I studied the taper of the stock piggy that Klaus posted and the flare looks very different to me. Other than the obvious things already posted, I'm not seeing anything else.

My opinion for what it's worth...

[tubafrank]

I don't if somebody noticed, but I think the engraving looks very funny when compared with the normal cerveny engravings.

here is the piggy in question:
[img]http://www.tubaexchange.com/images/CCN-603.jpg[/img]

and here is a normal piggy that you should see:
[img]http://www.amati-denak.com/art/Assortme ... 3-4mrx.jpg[/img]

notice the difference in engravings????

The one on the piggy in question has engravings that seems very similar to York engravings
[img]http://www.rickdenney.com/images/York_1937_label.JPG[/img]
I certainly hope that TE is not that stupid/sneaky/crazy thinking that they could cheat away that it is a YORK by JUST the engravings

Frank

[Joe Baker]

For cry'in out loud just tell us already.

Yeah, we give up.
_________________________________
Joe Baker, who feels the suspense morphing into aggravation.

[Doug@GT]

Look at the haze on the upper branch, have you ever seen as lacquered horn look like that?

Actually, yeah, I have.

But it begs the question: If they'd go to enough trouble to polish the horn that much, why not go ahead and laquer it? Is it really possible to tell from the picture if they've relaquered or not?

[Joe Baker]

I wouldn't put it past them...

One would think that a store that sells JUST tubas would be more reliable.

On the contrary, there are many reasons why a store that sells JUST tubas would be LESS reliable.

I don't know anything about the Tuba Exchange, nor about lacquered Piggies. But I do know a little bit about economics. Consider two totally hypothetical stores: store A sells a broad assortment of musical products and services, and store B sells JUST tubas.

Store A knows full well that the tuba player who buys a tuba there has the potential to refer lots of other musicians to the store for lots of other services. Reeds, mouthpieces, repairs, lubricants, method books, stands, cases -- if Store A treats our tuba player right, he'll go tell all of his trumpet and clarinet playing friends, and it could mean a lot more business for them. The proprietor of store A needs to make a satisfied customer, even if he has to leave a little money on the table to do it.

Store B, on the other hand, doesn't stand to gain so much. This tuba player may not buy another tuba for 20-30 years. At most he may know 3 or 4 other tuba players, who also most likely won't be in the market any time soon. Suppose the tuba player tells the rest of his band about a bad experience; store B couldn't care less, because all those trumpet and clarinet players are not potential customers anyway. No, the proprietor of store B gets one chance to make a buck off of the tuba player, so (from a business standpoint) it makes sense to milk each sale for every possible penny.

The narrower the product line and the more durable the product, the less incentive there is for the merchant to care about a happy customer.
___________________________________________
Joe Baker, who has no first-hand knowledge regarding the Tuba Exchange -- and doesn't plan to acquire any.

[TubaTodd]

Upon looking at the picture the first time I noticed the 4th valve spatula immediately. Upon a second inspection I noticed something that alarmed me. The bell looks aweful. I don't know if it is just a couple of creases, but it looks terrible!!!! As for the lacquer, I would have never noticed.

These piggy tubas are great. I would LOVE to purchase a vintage 70s or 80s piggy in good shape.

[Doug@GT]

For doug, I can say it takes about one hour and a $5 bottle of brass polish to get a horn looking like that.

Ok. I've never had to polish a brass horn before. I was under the impression that to get a "mirror finish" took more effort than simple brass polish and a rag. I will take your word for it.

[Chuck(G)]

To my weak eyes, the horn has been worked on (see the solder showing on the bottom bow just below the bell ferrule. The bottom bow has some "beauty marks" on the bottom (viewer's) right side of the photo. And the bell has a few dings in it.

But do I think it's lacquered? Yes I do--but it's not factory lacquer. Were it an unlacquered horn of this age, the area around the the thumbring would likely show some "orange peel" from reacting with skin oils. And it's difficult to get the mirror finish with just polish--power buffing is usually needed.

My .02 at any rate.

[Rick Denney]

Here's a hint, what color would say the lacquer on this horn is?

How would one know? I have seen photos of brass-colored tubas that looked silver, and photos of silver-plated tubas that were yellow like brass. The color of the light source is one issue--take a picture of a tilver tuba in tungsten light using daylight film and it will be yellow--and the color space used when it was made digital makes a huge difference. It is very difficult to tell color in a photo taken by amateurs, digitized by amateurs, and viewed on uncalibrated monitors by non-photographers.

My Cerveny BBb tuba from the middle 80's had identical detailing to the one pictured, right down to the engraving, and the lacquer was bright yellow with no apparent tinting up until the time I traded it away about ten years ago.

I think a personal inspection of the instrument would be necessary to justify the claim you have made here.

And to those who think the bell looks wrong, I can make a bell look positively oval by selection of lens focal length and camera position alone. The bell looks normal tome.

Rick "a semi-professional photographer who is no defender of TE but who thinks this is going too far" Denney

[bttmbow]

It must be the "elvis"-like stance of the photographer. Right?

[MikeMason]

now this guy's really got a set............impressive...

[Dan Schultz]

now this guy's really got a set............impressive...

Could be a cameltoe. (Google it, Joe!)

[TubaTodd]

now this guy's really got a set............impressive...

Now now Mike. Don't encourage him! That is a truly disturbing picture. I think it tops the picture I saw of a tea pot that someone put on ebay. The seller took the picture while in the buff. If you look carefully enough at the tea pot....you can see him.

[kegmcnabb]

now this guy's really got a set............impressive...

Could be a cameltoe. (Google it, Joe!)

Camel toe is a feminine trait. I believe the proper name for this is a "moose knuckle."

Craig "sorry for the non-tuba content" McClelland
Craig@sonicabsurdities.com
www.sonicabsurdities.com