The most handsome are front-action B-flat, but (my best guess) the most likely to play nicely in tune (if in C) will be a recording bell instrument...BECAUSE (I believe) it's the same taper (and made from the same sheet metal body cones of brass) as their 1920's sousaphones and helicons (and - having shortened one of those to C - that project was an astonishing sound/intonation success).
The main reason that I believe this recording bass body is the same body (other than being bent into bows, rather than shoulder-supported helicon/sousaphone "branches") is because the bottom bow features NO connection on the large side - ie. the bottom bow extends (one piece) all the way from its small side all the way up to the female bell connector - even-with-or-above the top of the top bow - seems to be bent of the same brass sheet metal cone a a sousaphone/helicon "1st branch".
Luxuriously, I have TWO 4-valve Secrest-rebuilt (d@mn, he did fine work!) original 1920's Buescher 93/128ths inch (.726" - approx. 18.5mm) bore valvesets.
- One is top-action.
- The other is front-action.
Building this instrument as top-action would be quicker.
Building this instrument as front-action might (??) be easier to hold and play.
Besides the beautiful-condition 19" original Buescher recording bell, I also have some same-taper upright Buescher bells of the same size/era, and a male collar (a common size) shouldn't be too difficult to obtain.
The issue is the monumental amount of work involved in these projects and (also) "how often - really - would I choose a C instrument to play a job?" ...but yet another issue is that I'm quite fluent/comfortable with reading/sight-reading while playing a C instrument, so...
Mostly, I LIKE the recording bell option, and the "full 4/4" option, as my two (wonderful) B-flats are on either side of this size.
This instrument was built the same year (1928) that American in Paris was composed. Even though I'm getting old, it seems likely (??) that I'll see that piece programmed again. The tongue-in-cheek (as with most all orchestral tuba solos) solo is in C, and it might be sorta cool to play that key-of-C solo on a fabricated same-year-as-composed C tuba - and with a (common-to-era) recording bell, yes?
...so - if I get the B-flat bass-trombone-length cimbasso finished (in time to use it in March, on Dvorak 7 - as well as mastering playing it), get my F tuba (which I bought new forty years ago) spiffed up a bit and shot with new lacquer, possibly put a trick finish on the compact Holton B-flat, and complete my punch list of mods on my Miraphone kaiser B-flat model 98, I might pull this collection-o-parts back out, and take a look at it. I've had this stuff for quite some time and - over the years - have had different ideas about "how to go about doing something with it" - the most discouraging idea having been "selling all of it and clearing space". (Please do not ask about buying any Buescher parts!)
...so
- I might (??) get something done here, eventually.
- It would surely be a C instrument...again: One particular Buescher 4/4 body taper plays MUCH better in C (clearer sound, no stuffiness, better intonation than in B-flat), and with the epic-length (two feet long) pre-valveset main tuning slide removed from the bugle.
- Nearly certainly, it would involve a recording bell option.
Here's (most likely) what I'll start with (Buescher model 697).
What I have is in remarkably good shape (ie. never has been abused).
With the recording bell - and in B-flat with four valves - it's 43 inches tall, and weighs 22 lbs. (again 19" recording bell and .726" bore)
