Cerveny Tubas

[hrender]

After acquiring an old Cerveny, I've become more curious about these. Does anyone in the US still sell them? I checked the manufacturer's website, but the only US dealer seems to be a person in NYC whose address is that of a guy whose main gig is as a mobile DJ.

[the elephant]

They sort of went partially out of business. I think it will be difficult to get stuff from them for a while. Try Dillon Music, as I think they may have a way to get them. They sold them for years — I think.

Google the company and something like "out of business" or "closure" to find out what happened and where things are today, as I do not really know.

[hrender]

Thanks. I had forgotten about that given it happened last year during the fog of <stuff>. This post on the old board seems to have had the then most current news. No idea what today's status is aside from the fact that the business website is still alive.

[iHeartLowBrass]

FWIW there are new Cervenys in stock at multiple European shops, according to their websites, for example:
https://www.musikhaus-geiger.de/Cerveny ... anguage=en

[hrender]

FWIW there are new Cervenys in stock at multiple European shops, according to their websites, for example:
https://www.musikhaus-geiger.de/Cerveny ... anguage=en

I saw that one. The CBB-684 model looks interesting. I'm curious how it plays (response and intonation) and sounds.

[bort2.0]

Dillon Music used to be able to order them... With the caveat of 1) no returns, 2) long waits and 3) you have a lot of other options for the same $ you know

[DonO.]

Cerveny made the very first tubas that used true rotary valves, back in the 1840’s or 1850’s. So if you have a Cerveny rotary horn you have a little piece of tuba history. Throughout my college “career” I played a Meinl-Weston model 25 BBb. It was the best horn I could find and afford at the time. A few years after graduation I made a trip to Tuba Exchange in NC and Vince set me up with a sweet Amati stenciled horn made by Cerveny. They were a pretty big Cerveny dealer at the time. He had just received a shipment of 6 of those Amatis and I played them all, and walked out with the pick of the litter. Compared with my MW (which I consigned with them and they sold it for me quickly), I thought everything about it was better. The tone was better. It was lighter (the MW always seemed overbuilt and unnecessarily heavy to me). The valves were livelier. I played that horn for about 15 years before I decided to give upon the tuba (switching to euphonium). Vince also sold the Amati for me. In retrospect I regret selling that horn. It rocked.

[iHeartLowBrass]

I saw that one. The CBB-684 model looks interesting. I'm curious how it plays (response and intonation) and sounds.

This is the post that got me interested in this horn in the first place:
http://forums.chisham.com/viewtopic.php?p=646065

Other than that, I know nothing.

[hrender]

I saw that one. The CBB-684 model looks interesting. I'm curious how it plays (response and intonation) and sounds.

This is the post that got me interested in this horn in the first place:
http://forums.chisham.com/viewtopic.php?p=646065

Other than that, I know nothing.

Cool, thank you.

[royjohn]

I see websites in Europe offering Cerveny tubas and there is a company website which gave links for email, so I emailed
one of the principals listed and we'll see what they say. If I remember right, there was some consolidation some time back,
but not a closure and Amati still makes Cerveny horns...they may not be being made in the same place or by the same people
as several years ago and it would be interesting to hear from someone in Europe (or elsewhere) who has bought a new Cerveny
recently...
royjohn

[royjohn]

I forgot that when I emailed Cerveny at 3AM, it was already time for work in Europe...Here's the response I got from Petr Fridrich of the Sales/Dispatch Dept., which he requested I post here:

<<Hi Roy

You can buy Cerveny tuba in USA. The main problem for dealership in USA was bankrupcy of musician friend and our own company in the same time . MFI Vendor, part of Musician´s friend, was our distributor in USA. For now, only Bocal majority in texas are selling our bassoons and JIM laabs music in North are selling our Tubas.

We are still looking for dealers. But main problem now is, that becouse of covid transport cost to USA went very high, and Tuba is not a small instrument.

If you want to buy tuba, we can sell it, but transportation will be around 1 200 USD. If you want Kaiser tuba, it´ll be more

And becouse of bankrupcy in our side, we has to schrink our production, so we have less models available. But we are planning to get to full range of tubas as in the past.

Please if you can, put this message to tubaforum, so everybody knows. Thank you

Petr Fridrich
Sales/dispatch department

AMATI Kraslice, výrobní družstvo
Dukelská 44, 35801 Kraslice, Czech Republic
+420 725 182 393
www.amati.cz / www.vfcerveny.cz>>

Checking the Jim Laabs website, they do have some Cerveny and Amati tubas listed and they are not particularly expensive...no Cerveny CC listed, tho'...

Hope this helps...
royjohn

[hubert]

1200 USD for shipment only??? Is not there a cheaper way, really???? Just wondering.

For comparison: Standard parcel (120 x 60 x60 cm and up to 31,5 kg) from Germany to USA through e.g. DHL (with USPostal as a partner in USA) is around Euro 200 .......???? Extra insurance will cost a few tenners, depending on insured value.

Hubert

[bloke]

wild guess:
If someone orders one - and they have it shipped to that person from Czechoslovakia, if it is returned to Wisconsin because someone doesn’t like it, L ends up with less money invested in the instrument that they really didn’t want to stock in the first place…(??)

[hrender]

Mike Johnson in the UK is still a vendor. He might be able to get one to the US at a reasonable price as might other vendor(s), e.g. La Musa in Spain.

One last edit: Couple of other interesting models, like the 5v 682, 686, and 883.

[Rick Denney]

Glad to see the physical address for Amati/Denak, which I always assumed did all the actual making for Cerveny, even when the latter was in Hradec Kralove. I've tried to find Cerveny in HK using GoogleMaps, and could only find a small office building/warehouse shared by about a dozen companies, and identifying Cerveny only by a banner tied to the fence. But the Amati factory in Kraslice at the address shown above is actually quite large.

My bet is Cerveny was an assembly shop only, and maybe even mostly a sales shop with all manufacturing contracted out. Descriptions linked above notwithstanding, my bet is Cerveny instruments never traveled through Hradec Kralove except on paper.

Rick "who thought Cerveny of old was always in Graslitz" Denney

[bloke]

As a gradual thing that occurred - since c. 1990...I (and now - I suspect - completely) have suspected the same thing regarding Gerertsried vs. Markneukirchen...except my example is more of a migration/merge than your example.
and (considering the differences in cost of living/worker wages/etc.) my example could probably be analogized to moving a factory from Seattle, Washington to Jackson, Mississippi. I've talked to some other Americans who - having recently visited - insist that manufacturing is still occurring in Geretsried, but others - who seem to be much more in the know - nod "yes" to my suspicions.

MUCH MORE like your example, the "official" mailing address of C. G. Conn is Elkhart, Indiana, but - well - that stuff is all made by (the place that most of us identify as) King (Eastlake).

Glad to see the physical address for Amati/Denak, which I always assumed did all the actual making for Cerveny, even when the latter was in Hradec Kralove. I've tried to find Cerveny in HK using GoogleMaps, and could only find a small office building/warehouse shared by about a dozen companies, and identifying Cerveny only by a banner tied to the fence. But the Amati factory in Kraslice at the address shown above is actually quite large.

My bet is Cerveny was an assembly shop only, and maybe even mostly a sales shop with all manufacturing contracted out. Descriptions linked above notwithstanding, my bet is Cerveny instruments never traveled through Hradec Kralove except on paper.

Rick "who thought Cerveny of old was always in Graslitz" Denney

[hrender]

Most large manufacturers subcontract/off-shore most/all of the actual manufacturing and assembly work. GIven that the prices of the Cerveny tubas is on par with the better Chinese ones, it would not surprise me to find that they're also made elsewhere.

That said, the Amati-Denak factory is a big facility, and I know that one of the regions to which US companies subcontract is eastern Europe, so who knows? I hear the Czech Republic is lovely in the spring time, so it might be worth a visit in a few months. Worthwhile data here.

[pjv]

There are many dealers in Europe who sell Cerveny. FMB Direkt en Thomann being possibly the largest companies.
If you want more info you could also try writing them.
It is always wise to try before you buy. With Cerveny this is absolutely true. Intonation can be way off. Or sometimes the horns just don’t really sing.
When I went to FMB all of the Cerveny’s were good horns
At the time I went.
I’ve tried new Cerveny’s at other places and they sucked.
I don’t know if I was lucky that day or if FMB hand picks their horns.
Good luck.

[Furguson11]

Checking the Jim Laabs website, they do have some Cerveny and Amati tubas listed and they are not particularly expensive...no Cerveny CC listed, tho'...

Hope this helps...
royjohn

The Minneapolis Jim Laabs is about 6 miles from my home and I was interested in a new 686 on their website. When I called, they did not have the horn in stock and tried to direct me to one of their Schiller models. A bit of a bait and switch...

Uwe Schneider in Germany was a broker for a lot of horns and a Cerveny lover, but that is down now, as well as his facebook page. Not sure what is going on there.

I did purchase my 683 from Greenbean and really like the horn. Shortly after he had a really nice 686 also, so they are out there still if you look.

Brad

[Three Valves]

The Minneapolis Jim Laabs is about 6 miles from my home and I was interested in a new 686 on their website.

Wasn't it about 3995.00 for a new one too??

Of course, I can sell you anything I don't have for a good price!!