A new tuba is born

[gionvil]

IMG-20221010-WA0020.jpg (50.92 KiB) Viewed 2025 times

After a lot of pondering and browsing through new and old tubas for sale all over the World, and after having considered various projects of restoration/assembling of old parts, I ended up having one made for me from existing new parts. I was looking for a very "standard" straightforward tuba; a workhorse, with piston of .730-.750 bore, 4/4 size, not a very wide bell, and CC. One day I stepped in G&P factory for some repairs. I knew that they had stopped the production of tubas years ago, focusing on trumpets, flugelhorns, cimbassos, chiarine and other less common brasses, but still they had, almost forgotten in a corner of the warehouse, a body of a CC. I liked it immediately because it had a not so wide bell flair (42 cm) but a rather large bottom bow and throat, and decided that it could have been a good base for my instrument. It is based on the design of the Kalison DS, and has a -removable- piston valve set of 0,748 ( fourth is 0,787), and room for a 5th to be added. It is completed now, just needs some buffing ( I'll leave it raw brass), and the first play test was very satisfying. It has been a very interesting experience to follow the various stages of the assembling, and I was lucky to have it made locally ( half hour from Home). It might even be the last made in Italy tuba in a while.. hopefully not forever!

[the elephant]

Nice! I hope you enjoy your new tuba!

[York-aholic]

The proportions look good. I’d like to hear it if that were possible.

[gionvil]

...and here the finished result.

[bloke]

...so mostly DS, except with a traditional mouthpipe...??
(DS was reverse feed, like a Yamaha 103.)

[gionvil]

yes, it's based on the DS design, just a narrower bell ( 42 cm). Melton body and bell. I will be probably adding a 5th rotor, 1 step, but not sure yet

[gionvil]

Awesome!

[bloke]

Vintage 186 bell profile except shorter...
OK...
If everything on the outer body is Melton, I'm going to have to guess that the bell is a PT-10 or a PT-15 F tuba bell, and perhaps the bottom bow as well.

B&S made a successful rotary C tuba using a Symphonie model F tuba bell roughly four to five decades ago. In the United States, they bore the name and engraving Meister Gerhard Schneider, and were imported and marketed by Selmer USA. I believe Giardinelli of New York may have also imported them. but I can't remember what name they had engraved on the bell. Perhaps Sonora, Musica, or something like that. The first and fourth rotors on those instruments featured 45° escapes, so it wasn't easy to add a fifth valve to that model.

Over the years, I sold a couple of those and thought they were pretty nice. Later, I believe (shortly after reunification) a different/similar version was released which was marketed as VMI.

I guess all I'm trying to say here is that I believe you are probably on the right track, and I believe what you have is probably a fine instrument. What you are reporting as your bore size is the same bore size they used on those ancient rotary models.

[Mark E. Chachich]

That is a beautiful tuba, great job!
Please let us know how it plays after you have had some more time with the tuba.

Best,
Mark

[PlayTheTuba]

Very nice! Does it have a name?

[cjk]

I'm curious why a Melton instrument was hanging around the G+P factory.

[bloke]

I'm curious why a Melton instrument was hanging around the G+P factory.

What do you know about American car manufacturing that might assist you in answering your own question?

[cjk]

I'm curious why a Melton instrument was hanging around the G+P factory.

What do you know about American car manufacturing that might assist you in answering your own question?

Competitive teardown analysis? Though I really don't think that'd result in much really if we're talking about tubas.

[gionvil]

I'm curious why a Melton instrument was hanging around the G+P factory.

G&P still has the tooling and drawings of the late Kalison Milano, and their bells and bodies were Melton. Also the valve set is made in Deutschland. The Kalison DS had a wider bell flare, while this was an experiment with a narrower diameter thought in cooperation with M°Rino Ghiretti. Bloke is right, I wanted something like a 186 without renouncing to the pistons, and I am really satisfied with the result.

[The Big Ben]

The design looks very clean and purposeful. The finish looks wonderful and I hope it sound as good as it looks.

Enjoy your new tuba!

[TheBerlinerTuba]

I purchased a piston valve F-Tuba from G&P roughly 10 years ago. I remember watching them spin the bell and bend the bows. As far as I know only the piston valves were not made in house. After 10 years, still one of the nicest sounding F-Tubas I've come across.
Congrats on the CC-Tuba it looks awesome:)

[TheBerlinerTuba]

I'm curious why a Melton instrument was hanging around the G+P factory.

G&P still has the tooling and drawings of the late Kalison Milano, and their bells and bodies were Melton. Also the valve set is made in Deutschland. The Kalison DS had a wider bell flare, while this was an experiment with a narrower diameter thought in cooperation with M°Rino Ghiretti. Bloke is right, I wanted something like a 186 without renouncing to the pistons, and I am really satisfied with the result.

Are you sure the parts were made by Melton? I remember seeing the bell forms for the CC/BBb tuba where I was there.

[gionvil]

I'm curious why a Melton instrument was hanging around the G+P factory.

G&P still has the tooling and drawings of the late Kalison Milano, and their bells and bodies were Melton. Also the valve set is made in Deutschland. The Kalison DS had a wider bell flare, while this was an experiment with a narrower diameter thought in cooperation with M°Rino Ghiretti. Bloke is right, I wanted something like a 186 without renouncing to the pistons, and I am really satisfied with the result.

Are you sure the parts were made by Melton? I remember seeing the bell forms for the CC/BBb tuba where I was there.

This what Angelo told me, and I think it's true for my tuba, but yes, they still have all the bell forms and they can make them themselves. Thank you Jake, and it sounds great with your Helleberg reproduction!