Tuba Tuesday: Silver Plated Mirafone Bell Front BBb tuba

[bisontuba]

This Tuba Tuesday the Museum features the only bell front detachable bell BBb Miraphone in the collection. It is our Mirafone model 186-4R, circa 1973, shown below. Another unusual feature of this instrument is that it is silver plated. We have five Miraphone tubas but this recording bell BBb is the only silver plated Miraphone in the collection.

Miraphone eG was founded in 1946 after the end of WWII when 13 instrument makers, who had been expelled from the city of Grazlitz, now Kraslice in the Czech Republic, settled in the southern German town of Waldkraiburg. With very few tools, they began by only repairing instruments but within two years began manufacturing brass instruments under the Miraphone brand and are still doing so today.

Lockie’s Music in Los Ángeles was the first American dealer to import tubas into the U. S. in the early 1960s. They used a slightly different spelling of Miraphone, which was “Mirafone,” in order to distinguish their instruments from the German ones (?) We believe this practice was ended around 1990.



https://simonettitubacollection.com/ins ... -4-rotary/

[Mikelynch]

These silver, recording bell 186’s were popular with universities in TX in the early 70’s. I know of several that had them. A couple of them together looked pretty spectacular at the back of a band.

[bloke]

That one looks to be in nice shape.

I recall that the Mirafone brochure (Sun Valley, California) showed BOTH versions of the 186.
Though some of those recording bell tubas were sold (and once any tuba is manufactured, someone will buy it, regardless of anything - just as is seen today), I suspect that whomever first ordered them from Miraphone miscalculated the American market's (general lack of) attraction to those tubas.

I believe the American fascination(s) with "Mirafone" (during that era) were...
- rotary valves
- upright bell
- German-made
- fancy stuff on them
...so the "recording bells for the American market" thing was a miscalculation (in my view).

I recall Memphis State University ordering their second or third 186 (c. 1972 or 1973) and were shipped a 186-R.
The band directors and tuba-guy were dismayed, it was sold to a local high school student immediately, and was replaced with a 186-U.

My only other observation is this: Even with the recording bell alteration, these tubas really do not sound like American recording bell tubas, do they...OTHER THAN (possibly) the Bueschers from the 1920's which ALSO featured very LONG mouthpipe tubes, approaching 3/4" bore (c. 725"), and CONSERVATIVELY-throated recording bells (on the recording bell 4/4 models)


Here's an example of the Buescher model to which I refer, and part of the Simonetti collection.