I did not know it was possible to unassemble a tuba. If you were to post another video where you test it out, I’d prolly watch it. Just sayin…
Wow, thanks for the great responses! When I get to know the horn a bit better I’ll post a review.
To clear up the BBb thing- it does designate it’s low fundamental pitch as Musicat said. A CC tuba is just pitched a whole step higher. They both are concert pitch non- transposing instruments. if you want to play a concert C, that’s what you play: C. There’s none of the fooling around with calling it something else like a trumpet or french horn does. In fact, pretty much all bass clef instruments are non- transposing. The exception is bass, upright or electric. Those are transposed up an octave to put the music on the staff more. Tubas have to read a bunch of ledger lines below the staff.
Chronos- helicons are actually better balanced than a sousaphone. They don’t have that big bell waving around above you.
BigGirl- I don’t mind talking about theprice aspect. the horn was about $3300, the gig bag was $250 and the tax (because I’m in CA) was about $200. Free shipping- from England. That’s a very good price for a brand new tuba. Wessex has them made in China and they go there every four months or so and play EVERY horn before they ship it. They also make small travel tubas,cimbassos, contrabass trombones, sackbuts and regular brass instruments as well.
I love the Banda players. They’re freaks.
I would much rather carry a brass horn than a fiberglass one. Fiberglass is for boats, not musical instruments. In fact, when I was in high school, I carried a regular concert tuba in marching band because I hated the fiberglass sousas.
I watched the whole video. Very cool! I was in band in high school and I miss being able to play in a group (though my instrument, the flute, is much more easily transportable).
I have been meaning to make an appointment to visit the Tuba Museum here in Durham … better put that on my to do list for sooner rather than later.
Or Jumpbrass?
This is posted somewhere else on the board:
What do you call a woman on the arm of a tuba player?
A tattoo.
Tubists shouldn’t hafta feel left out. 
Oh, man. “New tuba” is so far away from my current economic status I don’t care to think about it.
My old man (god bless him) bought me my horn when I was 17 and headed for college. $900 for a vintage concert tuba in a hard case, in pristine condition. An incredible bargain, even in 1978. After 40+ years lugged around in a soft gig bag around New Haven and NYC, it’s covered with the dings and dents you see on nearly every working tuba.
Take good care of that helicon, Jumpbass. If anyone comes near it, hit them with your mallet.
Wow! Shipping was a lot less expensive than I imagined.
Damn, now I’ve got this earworm.
I play upright bass - mostly bluegrass. A while back, my car had a busted CD player, and the public radio was on a pledge drive. The strongest station I found was all banda all the time. So cool! Any bass player oughta do a deep dive and let those tubas inform his/her playing.
Here, try Martin Mull.
What really freaks me out about the video is that Jumpbass and I could be brothers.
We have roughly the same body type, the same shape face, exactly the same spectacle frames, the same hair and haircut (I’m slightly less gray). The only differences is that I can’t play either electric or doghouse bass, and I’m not nearly as fastidious about my recycling. And my left ear is single-pierced, not double.
Either the same physical types gravitate towards playing the brass bass, or just Jumpbass is an extremely handsome man.
Yeah - enjoyed the vid. Your wife and pup are very tolerant!
Quite a stable you have hanging behind you. Mind identifying them for those of us on the stringed side of the bass clef? Who’s hiding in the gig bag?
My favorite music story. As a High School senior our family moved early in the term and I went to a new school. During the registration process the Registrar asked if I played any band instrument. When I mentioned playing the Sousaphone, she immediately told her student office helper to “Run quick and tell Mr. Morreale”. A few minutes later she returned and said that I was to go directly to the band room and all the paperwork could happen later. Mr. Morreale (Teacher and Conductor) introduced me to the band, sat me down, went into the instrument room and came out saying “We finally have someone to play this”. A brand new Miraphone 4 valve rotary tuba (BBflat, I think). I’d never held a proper tuba before and I was totally gob-smacked.
Best teacher ever, bar none. Interestingly, he’s in ‘Godfather I’ playing the Clarinet in the wedding band at Connie’s wedding. Back then, he did have his own Italian wedding band and most likely that was his band playing in the movie.
Great story indeed. Thanks for sharing.
I’m impressed by a high school that sprung for a Miraphone rotary-valve, especially when they didn’t even have a tuba player enrolled.
My high school settled for Yamaha upright piston-valves that felt like they were built out of tinfoil. There were four of us in the tuba section my senior year, two of whom could actually play. I hope the two freshmen eventually got better.
I wouldn’t describe my own skill level as “couldn’t actually play”, but let’s just say that I never got the solos.* I did, however, have two unique skills: One, I could hit the super-low notes, as in, pedal tone with all four valves down. And two, I knew all the alternate fingerings, and could play equally well with any of them. The first never came up much, beyond showing off at practices, because nobody ever writes music using the notes that low. The second, though, was far more practical: If there was a horn with a valve that kept sticking, or whatever, I was the one who got that one, because I could figure out how to play the song without using that valve for as long as possible, and then once I did have to use it, to continue playing with that valve for as long as possible until I had a chance to pry it back up again. Gotta love school tubas that have been used and abused by decades worth of teenagers.
*There was actually one time I got the solo. The last game of senior year, I informed the much more skilled sophomore who usually took the solos that I’d be doing it that night. He told me that he’d been waiting all year for me to pull rank like that.
winks Back atcha!
Preemptive disclaimer: I don’t know how to do the multiple quote thing in one post, so here goes a stream of them.
To be honest, you couldn’t see my wife in the video- that’s one of my daughters. My wife was watching, though.
Okay, basses. From left to right:
1930’s Gibson upright. Yes, Gibson made uprights. They made the entire orchestral line until the war broke out and they couldn’t get good wood. They then sold the factory to Epiphone. It’s one of only 300 made. Source: the Gibson staff historian.
Empty space. Usually my Yamaha 5 string hangs there. I’m doing a string of pit orchestra gigs right now, so it’s living in it’s gig bag.You can see it leaning against the lamp.
Brice 8 string. Two courses for every string, like a 12 string guitar. The bassist for Cheap Trick plays 8 strings. Sounds like a beast with a little distortion and chorus. I use it in the originals rock band I’m in. It came from a great website: RondoMusic.com Super cheap and good quality.
Warwick 5 string fretless. I love this bass. I got it from a Craigslist seller. Paid $800, got it home, did a bit of research and found out that they sell for $3300 new. Plays like a dream.
Another bass from Rondo. I gave it a steampunk makeover. I only bought it to give lessons on. Teaching beginners with a 5 string is a pain for everyone. It currently has a Gizmotron on it. Still dialing it in and looking for a good application for it.
NS Designs electric upright. I bought this for gigs I have to fly to. Built my own flight case for it. I also use it for pit orchestra work where my upright either wouldn’t fit in the pit or would stick up too far. I can sit and play it like a cello. It’s the cheapest one NS makes.I don’t like the pickups much and want to put some P Bass pickups on it.
Ibanez acoustic bass. For sitting on the couch and noodling. Also to practice on if I’m too lazy to drag out an amp. I’ve used it for a couple gigs, but not much.
In the gig bag, Mid 50’s Kay bass. My main gigging upright. I’ll have to do a video about it. It has three pickups on it, a raccoon tail hanging from the tuners and a large Jolly Roger sticker on the back. wanna see it in action? Here.
My high school also had a new Miraphone tuba. A 186 for you tuba nerds. My main horn is also a Miraphone. (It’s mounted on the wall to the left of my basses.) Great brand of horn. easy to blow, well made.