Cerveny/Amati ABB-401

[hrender]

I think this is the Amati version of the 601. Good price.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/193495260021

[LeMark]

interesting, but it actually says cerveny on it. No ideas what's different about it than a normal 601

[hrender]

In a thread on the old site, Matt Walters said the 4NN models were essentially econo-/student-level horns with equivalent dimensions to the 6NN horns but lower-level materials and/or features. This one looks almost identical to the CBB-601 (weight is even the same) except for the clocksprings.

[LeMark]

At first glance I assumed it would have brass outer slides, but they are nickel. It's a mystery

@Matt Walters ? Any ideas?

[LargeTuba]

looks like he knows how to pack a tuba. That definetly makes me happy.

[The Big Ben]

looks like he knows how to pack a tuba. That definetly makes me happy.

Almost $1000 shipping charge from Poland to USA. Not saying it isn't worth it - that's a ;long way for something so big- but that's a lot of money.

[marccromme]

But the most important question never answered when buying unseen: how good are the valves? Are the valve bearings worn out?

[LeMark]

It's not that old of a horn, and it's in really good condition, I bet the mileage on it is fairly low

[jtm]

Are there any European rotary valves that are just plain bad and that you should be careful of?

[marccromme]

Are there any European rotary valves that are just plain bad and that you should be careful of?

Yes. Those never oiled, but nevertheless are advertised to run fast tend to be totally worn out and clonck like cow bells. Unfortunately, hard to see on an image.

[bort2.0]

Doesn't seem like a particularly great price to me... even before expensive shipping from Poland...

[hrender]

Dunno, a classic BART delivered for ~$4300 seems to be a good deal. YMMV.

[bort2.0]

For me -- it seems like a lot of $ for a Cerveny.

[KingTuba1241X]

I've bought a horn from Damian Janas (Owner of Akord Brass) before. I doubt that is really $1,000 shipping to the USA, might just be preliminary. They pack well and the horn gets here completely safely.

[akordbrass]

We would like to say hello to the tuba brotherhood in USA!
I would like to clarify few things:

- this instrument is made by Cerveny/Amati in Kraslice (if you are familiar with Cerveny/Amati history, you should know the correlation). It is called ABB-401, but it is the same as the later 601. ABB naming was later used in Amati range of instruments, while Cerveny used CBB to distinguish between both (finally Amati brand was made only with piston valves, while Cerveny only with rotors). The materials are the same as far as the current production used for that time (by that I mean, that it could vary depending on the year of production); they didn't use different brass sheets for different models - at least not based on the quality (specification), but on the matter of type (yellow brass, red brass, gold brass).

- the price of the instrument is based on the condition, rarity (or current availability on the market) and sound quality of a specific instrument. On ebay you have fees calculated also (ebay + paypal, around 10-12%).

- shipping in "normal" times costs FAR LESS than 1000 $ - it usually varies between 150-200 $. Of course with a kaiser tuba it can be a bit more.
Unfortunately in pandemic reality, when the overseas shipping is ceased, the only option is a flight cargo - and this indeed costs over 1000 $.
I think it might be cheaper to travel to Europe (Poland or Germany, depending on the price of each option) and pickup the tuba in person to bring it back to USA as luggage (I didn't practice that, but it might work).

All in all - if you are in need of an instrument from our offer or you are looking for a good, affordable workshop to overhaul tubas, feel free to contact us via email biuro@akordbrass.eu or here on forum in private message.

[pjv]

I bought a helicon from Akord and I was very happy with their service and the product. I do live in Europe so the delivery was a lot easier. I also believe Daniel Ridder recommended this shop in a FB ad.
Just saying.

https://www.facebook.com/akordbrass/pos ... 3772648421

[pjv]

But the most important question never answered when buying unseen: how good are the valves? Are the valve bearings worn out?

You can ask the seller and he'll tell you.

Most important for me is intonation, which is something that can really vary on these large tubas. A theater group I work with owns a Lignatone (a stencil of this model). Beautiful sound but the difference between the open 3rd and 4th partials is more than I would want to deal with if I had to play on that tuba the whole night.

My 2 cents