Confirmed: The Largest Tuba Ever Built!

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Dave Detwiler
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Confirmed: The Largest Tuba Ever Built!

Post by Dave Detwiler »

Hi all,

In my ongoing research on giant tubas, I now have confirmation as to the largest tuba ever built, which was created way back in 1867 by the legendary inventor Adolphe Sax.

Here's my blog post on this news: http://tubapastor.blogspot.com/2020/11/ ... -1867.html

Enjoy!
Dave


Played an F. E. Olds 4-valve BBb in high school (late '70s)
Led the USC Trojan Marching Band tuba section (early '80s)
Now playing an F. Schmidt (=VMI) 3301 and goofing around
on a 1925 Pan American Sousaphone and an 1899 Conn tuba!
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lost
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Re: Confirmed: The Largest Tuba Ever Built!

Post by lost »

What a find! Thanks for another cool post.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
J.W. York & Sons Performing Artist
http://www.YorkLoyalist.com
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Snake Charmer
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Re: Confirmed: The Largest Tuba Ever Built!

Post by Snake Charmer »

Great find!
The valves look like the typical Sax Hybrid Valves. These are a bit longer than Berliner Pumpen and have an internal valve guide, not longer the guide screw through the housing. Sax used them in the 1860s and 70s until he switched to Perinet valves. On his 3+1 valve horns he kept the hybrid as 4th valve until the 1890s. Here is a picture of the Hybrid Valves of a 1863 Sax alto:
sax hybrid klein.jpg
sax hybrid klein.jpg (57.07 KiB) Viewed 324 times
:tuba: ...with a song in my heart!
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Re: Confirmed: The Largest Tuba Ever Built!

Post by bisontuba »

Neat
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Dave Detwiler
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Re: Confirmed: The Largest Tuba Ever Built!

Post by Dave Detwiler »

Here's another image of this beast, from the July 16, 1864 edition of L'Illustration, Journal Universel. You can see it leaning against the wall, in the shadows, to the left of the huge instrument display case:

1864-07-16 L'Illustration, Journal Universel, p. 48.JPG
1864-07-16 L'Illustration, Journal Universel, p. 48.JPG (135.2 KiB) Viewed 247 times

So this horn was apparently built at least three years before the Paris Exhibition of 1867.
Played an F. E. Olds 4-valve BBb in high school (late '70s)
Led the USC Trojan Marching Band tuba section (early '80s)
Now playing an F. Schmidt (=VMI) 3301 and goofing around
on a 1925 Pan American Sousaphone and an 1899 Conn tuba!
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Re: Confirmed: The Largest Tuba Ever Built!

Post by humBell »

Thanks as always for such wonderful posts.

In the ounce of prevention spirit, if we do track it down, please, no one suggest we cut it to CCCC.

Wishing for a 4th or 5th valve is acceptible.

As would wishing for a 4th or 5th lung.
(be acceptible, that is)
"All art is one." -Hal
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