OKC CL: Kalison Professional 2000

[hrender]

https://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/msg ... 12728.html

[bort2.0]

Beautiful!!

[donn]

Wow, another BBb! I understand they're rare in the US. The price is outrageously cheap in my opinion. Mine came from Canada, and at the time there was one for sale in Australia. That was silver plate 5V like this, mine is lacquer 4V, with a "kicker" that doesn't add a whole lot of tubing. I love it - lively but big sound, really comes out in a big room, intonation seems fine to me, works OK with just about any mouthpiece (but I'm no professional myself, I just play a "Professional"!) That case appears to be a little more compact than mine. Without the case, the tuba is very manageable considering, but with my case it's an ordeal.

[hrender]

This is probably a better pic:

[b.williams]

Is it a main tuning slide "Kicker"?

[KingTuba1241X]

Talked to the seller via text, said he's looking for a local sale only. He's 77 years old, not in the best of shape to ship it.

[hrender]

Is it a main tuning slide "Kicker"?

From the ad:

One tunable slide you work with your left hand

Related thread: Kalison 2000 with trigger instead of 5th valve?

[donn]

Is it a main tuning slide "Kicker"?

I don't think so. I'm no whiz at this, and I can't be 100% sure what I'm looking at, but I'd say

• the lever visible at the top works the 5th valve (can't exactly see how, but what else?)
• the first valve has a stop, so you can yank that slide up, via the pull ring, and it won't come off.

So I reckon he's talking about that 1st valve slide.

The same lever on my 4V (linked above) goes to the main slide, which has the stop. If you can see a paddle for the 5th valve somewhere else, then I'd start looking for a stop on the main slide. Of course the seller would know for sure. (Unlike the guy who sold mine, who really had no idea how it worked.)

[greenbean]

Talked to the seller via text, said he's looking for a local sale only.
...

Make yourself local! It is only a 20-hour drive from where you are, I think.

(24 hours, for me. I am thinking about it - my truck is gassed... )

[the elephant]

TL;DR (after all my above blah-blah): These are basically very solid players, but have some inconsistencies (probably due to assembly issues, as the design is very good). If it is a good one it will likely be very good. If it is a bowser this will probably be apparent with a careful playtest of under an hour. The price is okay, but not great. I bought a used DS for $5000 in 1995, so a Pro 2000 in 2021 for right at $4000 is not that bad at all, but no deal, either.
________________________

The lever is to the MTS, which is surprisingly difficult to get to as it is sort of buried behind other slides. The 5th is operated via a normal thumb lever. I have never seen one of the BBb Pro 2000s with a 5th valve, so this might be a really nice tuba. If it was specially ordered then a little more care may have been taken by the assemblers. (Kalison's build quality was always hit or miss.)

If this is a good example then it will play *very* well. The only strike on Kalison tubas, IMHO, is that the tone can be a bit Yamaha- or Hirsbrunner-like in its vanilla-ness. Luckily, the blandness of the HB horns is very mild, with some occasionally being able to produce lively, colorful tones. (I am specifically referring to the HB-1/2/1P/2P horns, which offered a whole lot of high-zoot Yamaha goodness for the ridiculous "Rolls-Royce of the Tuba World" price charged by Marrich. I like the other various HB models I have played.) Kalison tubas, bland as they might have been, never were as bland as *any* Yamaha tuba, though. Being bland like a HB tuba is not a bad thing at all… it just isn't very exciting. (All opinions, but they are based on my actually playing many HB, Yamaha, and Kalison tubas over many years.)

This tuba is not overpriced, but it is no deal, either. If the seller can be talked down by a grand it would be a good purchase — if this tuba plays with good response and intonation. It *MUST* be tested with a tuner as they are inconsistent. The high Ab must be checked out carefully*, and the low register must be explored carefully to see how it responds when pushed hard. (These had a low range much like a 188 — beautiful and dark, but you have to push for projection, and the response is rather stiff. You *must* relax to get it to do what you want. When you do this tuba will do very well in a large group.

I really liked the CC Pro 2000 I almost bought in 1993. I sort of regret not snapping it up at that time. I think I would have used it in the orchestra for a long time, had I bought it. I only sold the DC because it was a bit too small for what we play. (Instead, I bought my Alexander 163 to replace my DS, and kept it for twelve years.)

_________________________

* The DS and many of the early Pro 2000s had complaints of the high Ab not speaking at all — like it did not exist. I have never come across this, but it was a common complaint. I am assuming that this was on the CC horns, but since I never found one with this issue it might have been a problem on the BBb versions. I don't know. It seems to me that it's worth the time to specifically test that note with care on *any* Kalison CC or BBb tuba just to be safe. It would suck mightily to pay for the tuba and get home to discover that you are more or less missing a note. Take time to test the horn carefully.

[the elephant]

And yes, I *am* interested in this tuba. I have no funds right now, so I will NOT be inquiring. However, I sincerely hope the person who buys it happens to be a member of this community, and that they will post a lot of photos and a full review of this horn. I always like to read about the Kalison instruments.

If you own a Kalison instrument please post about it, and include a lot of high-resolution photos.

Please.

Make a middle-aged fat guy happy.



Too bad I am so broke right now. There are a number of tubas up for sale at more or less reasonable prices that I would like to look at, but that is not in the cards for me right now…

[donn]

Here's the 5V BBb from Australia. It was on "Gumtree", but has been sold, and this photo is all that remains directly available. Maybe more via ebay, as I see it's actually hosted there.


Like I say, I really like mine, but I will say it doesn't play itself. It seems to call for a little more precision to hit a note, compared to for example my Holton 109. I guess it stands to reason that a "Professional" tuba might in some ways call for a little more skill. The only thing I've noticed about intonation is that I sometimes think D below the staff runs a little sharp, to the extent I have experimented with using the 3rd valve instead of 1+2.

[bort2.0]

Talked to the seller via text, said he's looking for a local sale only.
...

Make yourself local! It is only a 20-hour drive from where you are, I think.

(24 hours, for me. I am thinking about it - my truck is gassed... )

Do it...!

[LeMark]

3 hour drive for me, but I don't need it

[donn]

If you own a Kalison instrument please post about it, and include a lot of high-resolution photos.

Not mine, unknown BBb 4V from Klaus' archive - bottom bow


valves


He also has a couple 4/4 models in BBb, one piston and one rotary.

[donn]

For those who may not be acquainted with the detachable valve set, a picture of one of the points of attachment:


That is (I assume) the factory screw. Mine was missing the rest; here's a replacement screw:


That's 8-32 thread. Not the original thread, but the pitch seemed to be very close, and just a little smaller diameter, so I ran an 8-32 tap through it. Also had to whittle the head down a little, so it would drop into the recess.

[donn]

Loose size comparison with Holton 109. Not exactly fair - with the detachable front bell, the Holton would extend farther than the Kalison, so the Holton's bottom bow is farther back on the bugle. Holton is bigger overall (and sure is heavier, and at the bottom of the 3V BBb range it's beautifully solid), but the Kalison appears to expand faster towards the wide end. Wonder how much of it is dimensionally different from the DS?

[Kctuba]

Anyone know if this sold??

[bloke]

To Wade’s remarks…
A D.Smith 4/4 came through here one time that I nearly kept. In fact, I didn’t advertise it for sale for about six months.
The valve sets were made by the same factory that makes or made those for Gronitz.

[BuddyRogersMusic]

Anyone know if this sold??

It has been spoken for and is in-process.