tuba ownership / emotional attachment

[bloke]

I love my spouse/kids/pets/relatives...

> I've never felt an attachment to "stuff", and I'm not faulting those who do - as we all have so many MEMORIES that are associated with stuff.
> A few people seem to have held onto every instrument they ever bought.
> Many sell - while seemingly feeling as though they're sending their children off to college (etc.) and - after a bit - "get over it/move on"
> Some sell, and reportedly miss those instruments sold for the rest of their lives.

When - rarely - I've revisited instruments that I've previously owned (aside from all of the subsequent wear-and-tear - which is impossible to ignore), after playing them I immediately remember why I moved on to "something else".

I own one particular tuba (which I couldn't imagine selling - unless I could no longer play...and because it - and your skepticism is understood - plays the music FOR ME, with my doing little more than holding it, mashing buttons, and blowing into it). All the others: yeah...they're "great"...etc...but EVEN THAT TUBA: The only thing that would sadden me about selling it would be that it marked a date at which I realized that I could no longer play.


Is this a topic worthy of discussion?

[prairieboy1]

Yes, this certainly is a topic worthy of discussion. At present, I own four tubas. I certainly do not need four. Each one of the horns has a particular attachment to me and I to it. Each person will view their instrument(s) differently and I know that when I finally am unable to play, they will provide me with a wealth of memories of the terrific music that was performed on them and perhaps more importantly, the people who made up the tuba sections and the bands that I have played in over the years. A tuba is a tool and yet it is so much more than that. Thank you for posting this, it has brought up many good memories already.

[LeMark]

Never should have sold my piggy. Every tuba after that is Negotiable

In fact in the next couple of months I could see selling 3 tubas and 1 euphonium to purchase 2 tubas.

[bloke]

Mark,
With your piggy thing, is it all usefulness, or is there any emotion involved?

[bloke]

Mark,
With your piggy thing, is it all usefulness, or is there any emotion involved?

It was one of the best tubas I have ever played. I don't know what I was thinking in selling it. I wasn't using it much after I got my 601, and I had someone offering me good money for it, so let it go. I had just gotten an Eb, so I figured "I had a small tuba and a large tuba, why do I need a medium tuba collecting dust?"

[bloke]

There are probably about ten things here that all represent clearly the best choice for certain types of things. That may seem like a lot, but every one of them gets used at least a few times a year. There are two or three polka band things like a flugabone, a pocket trumpet, and so on, and I would just as soon hold on to those as go to the trouble of selling them. There's no way that I'm going to allow the set of things - that I actually use - to climb up much more than the 10 that are here now, because that's quite quite enough of an array of choices. There's nothing here that is here because it's deemed "interesting" or "collectible"... (okay, The ballad horn in C - which at first glance looks to be an old E flat mellophone - is sort of in that category, but I do have fun pulling it out and playing French horn music on it at pitch.)

As you know, my really special bass guitar is up for sale. I feel a little bit in my heart when I play on it for a minute or two, but I'm just not using it for any engagements, and I'm not letting people know that "bass playing" is part of what I'm capable of doing.

[bort2.0]

There are plenty that I would enjoy if I still had them, and plenty that I would have rather not sold.

But at this point, there's no emotional attachment to stuff... Tubas, watches, knives, coin collection... have sold most of all of it, and that's a one way street. No time or need to look back. They made more.

"I'm not a collector"

[Three Valves]

The only thing I regret having to get rid of were my skinny clothes.

[Bob Kolada]

I sold the tubas I sold for various reasons (didn't play well, was trying to get a trombone cruise ship gig) and don't really miss them but I do miss my Olds marching trombone and contrabass trumpet. The Olds was really nice but I was a little ticked at the issues it had that weren't revealed by the seller. The contrabass was awesome, I don't remember why I sold it. I miss my Kanstul contrabass trombone a little.
The only time I play in a group anymore is a Tuba Christmas every few years so I don't even need what I have. My King and Conn Eb tubas don't play particularly well, I can't play bass trombone anymore and I don't like playing euph music so I could sell all of those and just keep my cimbasso. I barely play that but learned my lesson about selling unique, useful instruments. That and a decent little bass tuba would serve me just fine, I might even start playing in groups again. If I could play the King in tune (wide octave, plays and sounds great otherwise) it would be fine for brass band.

[BRS]

.

[bloke]

Every tuba that I owned - prior to this one-and-only F tuba - was a ton of work to play.

I bought (new) probably the worlds WORST 186 4-rotor C (probably rejected by dozens of other potential buyers prior to me buying it mail order...CRAPPY intonation...this: vs. the one I sold to Bill, which - very possibly - is the worlds absolute BEST example of those).

I then made - probably - the world's worst trade, which was to trade it for a beat-up 1950's Alex C...and then an EVEN WORSE decision, which was to hand it off to a pair of alcoholic hacks who (as it DID previously "sound" good) RUINED it...buffed a HOLE in the front of the upper bow (' too dumb to recognize a seam)...and (even) buffed the holy Jesus out of the rotors.

This F tuba (at first) was a "some" work to play, but - once I figured out the things that I NO LONGER needed to do - and just let that/this F tuba play itself - I had my first "easy" tuba.

After that, I went through some more "too much work" contrabass tubas, realized that a couple of makes of sousaphones (particularly vintage King) play better than MOST of the pricey "artiste" tubas (which is still true to this day), and (eventually) either built or bought some "easy" contrabass tubas.

At one point, I owned a bought-new 188, but it was a super-dog (compared to all others I've played - ok: yet playable)...188's are supposed-to-be-and-are EASY-to-play tubas...yet that one: nope...WOOF !!!

The C helicon and the 5450 were about as easy (contrabass-wise) whereby any player could hope to find.

I cycled myself through several C 6/4's (work!...and one of them - unpredictably, a RM 5/4...the largest of them - was a little bit LESS work, as it could easily be played in tune...but yet: work). Having played the YCB-826 tubas and (specifically, and excluding all others) Mr. Cooley's Nirschl 6/4, the Yamaha still beats out his, but only by a bit. I've also played the CSO York...SUPER-easy to make big/impressive/pretty/broad sounds, yet: tuning... is tough (ok, but remarkably flexible, so maybe: "not all that tough").

The big thing that I have now is the most in-tune huge tuba I've ever played or owned...but (being B-flat) it's a bit more WORK than would be a comparable C (were one to exist)...YET: with more payoff.
The Rudy 5/4's bore (and oem mouthpipe tube) are more huge, but - I feel certain - this currently-owned big B-flat's BELL is more huge, and - again - it's two feet longer (as well as the circuits being longer).

>>> Notice something about most everything I typed above:
- nothing about memories
- everything about how much work to play them

bloke "probably said to be psychopathic - toward my musical instruments"

[Dan Tuba]

I have a thing for Conn 2XJ tubas...I don't know why, maybe I am totally crazy, but I just enjoy playing them. Everytime I sell one, I end up buying another No memories, emotional attachment, I just genuinely have fun playing these tubas.

Ok, so the first step is complete, I recognize that I have a problem

[bloke]

I bought a couple of those myself.

[Sousaswag]

I’m able to switch them around so much because I don’t get attached to them.

I’ve enjoyed all but one that I owned, but ultimately sold them for one reason or another.

Being attached to your first tuba is understandable to me, as if it’s truly the first one, you got it when you were young, at a time it was the most important thing in your life, etc. etc.

However, if you’re attached to it and play something you like better, you’re going to have to make a tough choice!

[tylerferris1213]

Every tuba I own is for sale for the right price lol. The only exception is my York monster Eb. It has a fantastic story and historical significance beyond the fact that it's a York. It was also my "capstone" project when I was doing my apprenticeship for instrument repair.

[Rick Denney]

All of my tubas are unique in a couple of ways:

1. Unique buying opportunity.

2. Uniquely effective at what they do.

I don't play them all any more, but if I sold them and discovered I had made a mistake, I would have a hard time aligning those two singularities again.

But that doesn't mean I've never sold tubas. I traded my Cerveny-made Sanders and the Musica (made by who-knows) F tuba for a Miraphone 186, and I've never felt a pang of regret. That Miraphone was part of the trade package to get the Hirsbrunner HBS-193, and I've never felt any regret there, either. The Miraphone was a good instrument, but of all the Bb 186's I've played, it was one of them. If I really wanted a 186 again, I could just go buy one. And I owned a Vespro-branded VMI made in the early 90's. That tuba was not like the old B&S/Weltklang 101, and the differences made it less special. It was also a good tuba, but with a fifth partial that could not be fixed by pushing in. I built a tuning stick for it that would let me push in both the main slide and the first slide, which helped, but it was no replacement for the 186 and I sold it. That tuba went to a church orchestra.

I also bought a 20J from Daryl Hickman that had been repair practice for his students. It was fun to play and for me was a proof of concept for wanting an American-style 6/4, but when I got the Holton, the Conn went bye-bye.

And then there was the Besson Stratford I inherited from my high school. I needed it when I had it, but felt not one pang of sadness when I sold it.

And I sold my beloved York Master. It did some things extremely well. But really what I wanted it to be was a King 2341, new style, and notwithstanding the best valves I've ever experienced on any tuba, I happily traded it for the Eastman EBB-534, which is an improvement of the 2341. How could I sell a tuba I describe as "beloved"? I have often advised that a relationship with a tuba is not a marriage. No holy sacraments are involved, and also no vows of lifelong loyalty. I loved the story of that tuba, and I played it a lot and learned from it. Someone else is enjoying it now.

What do I have left? A Hirsbrunner 193, Giardinelli/B&S 101, Holton BB-345, B&S Symphonie 6-valve F, Yamaha YFB-621, Eastman EBB-534, and Miraphone 184. No, I don't need seven tubas, but I think these are worth more to me in my collection than would be the dollars I could sell them for. If I had to sell one, the Eastman would be the first to go, because it's the easiest to replace if I came to regret it. The Conn 14K is (playable) wall art, and the plastic Martin has project value in excess of its cost, for a future project.

Rick "don't regret selling the ones I've sold, and don't regret keeping the ones I've kept" Denney

[bort2.0]

The only thing that I would never sell is my first tuba mouthpiece (which I used from about age 14 to 24), which is a Bach Megatone 18. It got me through HS, College, and the first few years of "beyond". I used it for everything, not because it was necessarily OMG the best ever, but because 1) I owned it, and 2) I couldn't afford to buy anything else. Going to a relatively "poor" public school, all of the "big instruments" were school owned, with no expectation for students to buy anything including a tuba mouthpiece*. There were a few mouthpieces available with the school horns, but those were disproportionately worn out and damaged compared to the number of tuba players** in the school. I started playing tuba halfway through 9th grade (changed from trumpet to tuba), and quickly decided a few things:

1) I was DONE with the trumpet, and I'd be a tuba player from then on [30 years later, still the truth]
2) I HAD to buy my own tuba mouthpiece, the ones at the school were sanitized, but gross. As soon as I had saved enough money, I'd buy one.
3) After I buy my own mouthpiece, I'd take care of it the best I could, and never let it get gross like the school ones [30 years later, still the truth]

I tried to find something at the local music store, but no luck (at least then) -- they had a few band instruments (mostly sax, trumpet, and trombone), but otherwise it's a guitar store. A really good family-owned guitar store*** (not GC), just not much they could do for band instruments.

I wanted to go to Dave Fedderly's store (the basement of his house on Winans Way, in Baltimore), but my parents wouldn't take me there, because it was either "too far" or "in a bad neighborhood." I actually think that was (and is still?) a pretty nice area... Baltimore is funny though, more than anywhere else I've been, there is huge variation in demographics, wealth, and safety in very small changes in physical location. One block is great, the other is crap. One neighborhood is wealthy, two streets over it's not good at all.

I think the real reason why my parents wouldn't take me there was because it was close to the (terrible) apartment where my dad's parents were living. It was very blue collar/okay when they first moved there about 20(?) years earlier, but had gotten worse over the years... to the extreme that my grandparents were robbed at gunpoint in the parking lot one evening. My grandfather, being the tough guy he was (US Army in WWII and Korea, then was a butcher for 30 years... immensely "real work strong", not "gym strong"), fought back. The robber tried to shoot my grandfather in the head, but his gun jammed and the guy ran off. Must've been the late 80s or very early 90s. On the other side of the park, but my grandparents apartment and Dave's house weren't more than a mile from each other.



So, short of all that, I found a Giardinelli catalog in my band director's office, and swooned at the ONE page of tubas and tuba stuff... I think the top-end tuba listed was a Meinl Weston 25 (to me, it was unheard-of and spectacular riches of tubadom), but obviously being a 4-digit price, that wasn't going to happen. Shopping for a mouthpiece, I chose the Bach 18 because of the description in the catalog basically stating that it was good for just about anyone and anything. I distinctly remember choosing the Megatone version because 1) if you CAN get the "more" version, then why not? and 2) the description of something like "capable of producing an immense, sonorous tone."

I had no idea what "sonorous" meant, but I knew that I wanted it.

Anyway... I'm never selling the Bach 18 Megatone. I just spent 20 minutes writing about it and how/when I bought it. I guess there is a bit of an emotional attachment to it.

------
* Looking back, I'm not sure why "the poor kids" didn't all just play big/school owned instruments, instead of the high-pressure rent-to-own programs that were a financial strain for those families. I think my Bundy trumpet was like $30/month or something... which I don't think was easy on my parents.
** In 9th Grade, I was one of 3 tuba players in the school. By 10th grade, I was the only tuba player... and it stayed that way until I graduated.
*** BIll's Music House in Catonsville, MD... which is a (max!) 5 minute walk from the current location of Baltimore Brass Co.

[bloke]

... there went 20 minutes of watching that 40 minute video.

JUST kidding...
' haven't watched it either.

[Tubeast]

The first tuba I played was "Heinrich", a 3-valved 3/4 BBb that used to hang on the wall in our house for years when bored, flugelhorn-playing me chose to polish and then play it, ending up in dropping flgh. altogether.

My second horn was "Chantal", a Melton 46 I paid for myself as an undergrad student of mech. engineering.
Kept it for about 12 years, grew very attached to it, but I certainly knew why I sold it.

That´s when I quit naming horns and attributing personalities to them.
Now they are tools. I´m grateful for good times and comfort to the soul, but they´re still tools.

[bort2.0]

... there went 20 minutes of watching that 40 minute video.

JUST kidding...
' haven't watched it either.

Time and money -- we all get to choose how we want to spend it.