Tuba Tuesday: King, 1286 Monster, BB flat tuba, 4 rotary, c.1935

[bisontuba]

Happy Tuba Tuesday. The Museum today features a King, 1286 Monster, BB flat tuba, 4 rotary, c.1935.

Serial #: 180120-J

Bell Diameter 20”, Bore Size .750, Height 36 1/4”.

Comments:

“MADE BY / THE H.N. WHITE CO. / CLEVELAND / OHIO” on bell.



https://simonettitubacollection.com/ins ... flat-tuba/

[bloke]

I wonder why the B-flats all look nice, and all the rare C's look similarly cattywampus.

Today (other than the 20" bell - though bell inflation is common) that might be called a "piggy".

[humBell]

Some day i will figure out which makers made monsters and which made mammoths, and i'll perhaps set out to find a mastodon?

But if there is ever a cattywampus model of tuba, sign me up (or ask me to help design it)

[matt g]

I wonder why the B-flats all look nice, and all the rare C's look similarly cattywampus.

Today (other than the 20" bell - though bell inflation is common) that might be called a "piggy".

I’m pretty sure that your suspicion is that the CC versions were one-offs that someone had to build that might not have built one prior and was possibly working without proper information.

[bloke]

They all had a goofy tilt in the valveset.

[edfirth]

The early Bb's had straight up and down valvesets(I have one and have seem several others but at some point they changed to the slant style. Those two silver Bb's on that auction site in the off site section a week or so had that style. But I've never seen one of the C's with the straight up and down valveset. And of course I don't have a clue as to when they went the slant route. I've played two C's(one was Joe Novotny's fprmer horn in the NY Phil) and two Bb's, found them all to be OK with regards to pitch but I don't obsess over pitch so much as some do. But the one at Vince's place is very probably an early one and maybe even a one off and I've not seen another like it. I really like mine. Best, Ed

[arpthark]

The early Bb's had straight up and down valvesets(I have one and have seem several others but at some point they changed to the slant style. Those two silver Bb's on that auction site in the off site section a week or so had that style. But I've never seen one of the C's with the straight up and down valveset. And of course I don't have a clue as to when they went the slant route. I've played two C's(one was Joe Novotny's fprmer horn in the NY Phil) and two Bb's, found them all to be OK with regards to pitch but I don't obsess over pitch so much as some do. But the one at Vince's place is very probably an early one and maybe even a one off and I've not seen another like it. I really like mine. Best, Ed

The slant valves on those were what made me think they might be in C. But those are definitely rare birds, from what you're saying.

[York-aholic]

The first batch of 7 CC horns had sequential serial numbers. The CC in Vince Simonetti’s collection belonged to Mr. Torchinsky and was from a later batch (supposedly 2 batches of 4) for a total of 15 CC tubas.

[ken herrick]

I KNOW that tuba. (Iposted about this previously on that other site). I owned its litter mate for several years, Mine was ser no 180119. The two as I was told we re from a set of 6 which Ohio State U had made before a tour of Russia.
I bought mine from shop in Clevland which took 2 in traade toward ,I believe Mira 186s. When I got mine I took it to my lesson with Jake amd after he tried it and insisted on buying it on the spot I promised I would try to get him one. He WANTED but i figuredd if he thought it was that good I would be a fool to part with it.

I got the second one the dealer had and sold it to jake for what it cost me even though he said he would pay more. (well, yes, I was a bit of a fool)
Jake decided hw did not want to get used to BBb and asked Karl Geyer about cutting it to CC. NO WAY was he going to ruin it!!!

Don Heeron (possible misspelling of name) came from the Denver Symphony for lessons and convinced Jake that it was exactly what he needed and managed to buy it. I believe he left the orchestra and moved to Wisconsin and went into business as a photographer. Another member asked me a fw years ago if this was like the one I had. Well, yes but I kept the slighty better one.

I wonder how this one came to be in the museum.

For what it is worth - these are GREAT tubas. I wish I still had mine.

(sorry about misspelling etc - just had to buy a new computer - Win11 - nd it SUCKS. The win, not the machine.

[hrender]

There was a 1286 apparently cut to CC that popped up on the Denver CL about 10-12 years ago. It was being sold by a guy who said he was the son of a retired Denver player who had passed. I was going to check it out but the ad disappeared almost as soon as I shared it. I’ve always wondered what happened to the horn and who got it. Ken may have provided the origin of the horn.

[ken herrick]

The Denver one is not the one the OP shows as being in the collection. The collection example , according to serial number, and previously seen pics is the one Don had after Jake sold it to him after i got it and sold it to Jake.

I had a 3v (ser # 120...) before I got 180119 and after a very good overhaul at Lyons Band instruments Co in Chicago -which I sold to pay for the 4v.

Ken Hughes (who later on worked a atConn was at Northwestern U. in 1965 doing a
masters in applied and alerted me to the ones at the shop in Ohio.

As far as I have been able to ascertain there were about 100 of the " monster BBbs made. Connie Weldon, Miami Symph) used one.

I NEVER had a complaint about the sound that came out , infact during my playing career I got regular compliments.

As for the CC's (smaller bore) my guess is that they were a cut of the BBbs. I played one which Harver bought and was selling and I really would have LOVED to have it and my BBb as a pair.


Many complain about the CCs being hard to play in tune and yes that one need to be
played as it wanted but then it was easy.

IF I was young and fit enough to be playing, I would gladly sacrifice my first 100 born to have old Fafnir. OK, I do not have 100 offspring, but I think you get my meaning.


I guess it is a good time to again pass on one of Jake's most memorable bits of advice: DON"T grow old - you won't like it!!!!} He was only 52 yrs when he told me that. IF ONLY he had known how to avoid age!


By the way, trying to work here using Win 11 is causing me to make silent brown noises.

If anyone cares to further discuss ole King Tubas, my email is kenshorse@gmail.com