TubaForum.net

seen in a European music store facebook ad

three rotary valves...rigged up to operate with buttons on top - as if pistons

bell is bent upward for "cool look" effect

price...?

real practical difference between this and (assuming it plays well) one of the better *marching baritones...??


https://www.facebook.com/reel/756976640727447




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- Yamaha, OK
- JP, complete copy, other than JP has stainless steel pistons vs. Yamaha's lead-soldered and nickel plated pistons, JP's case will hold up, and it's about half the cost
- King - probably my personal favorite, though one would have to hold it up for long periods of time, and it's large

Bernd Jestädt learned his trade working for Miraphone. Should be superb quality and expensive.

This is basically following a rising demand (AKA stubbornly resident fad) over here, and I´m ready to admit it has its value, since these combine advantages of both valve systems.

You will be aware of the "Gansch Horn" in both trumpet and flugelhorn versions, as played masterfully by Thomas Gansch of Mnozil Brass.
This is basically a variant of taking things down an octave into the Basstrompete / Bassflügelhorn world.

Small and excellent groups of seven to maybe ten musicians putting on their Lederhosn, playing alpine music to all rampant beerfest-type crowds, has been on the rise as business opportunity for the best part of two decades, now. Search for "Woodstock der Blasmusik" and you know what I mean.
You, Bloke, already know the record I´m about to put on for the remainder of this post, but for others: Here goes...

Many of these groups adhere to perceived stereotypes in appearance as well as choice of gear.
Trombonists will double on tenor horns or baritons in oval and horizontal versions as shown in your picture.
If they want to appear conservative / classy, they´ll choose the oval variant as well as tidy shirts and vests with their Lederhosn. https://www.kaisermusikanten.at/

If they want to appear less streamlined and pretend to be more individualistic, their uniforms and standard equipment comprise bare feet optionally in rugged shoes, Lederhosn boasting decades of wear, T-shirts with artificially worn-off collars and printed-on "sweat stains", a Bergkristall on leather necklace and brass instruments stripped of lacquer / showing discoloration from torchwork and may use horizontal tenor instruments.
These https://www.labrassbanda.com/ are just among the most successful groups.

The shown specimen would be situated somewhere in-between.

It's too subtle. Someone should take an oval baritone apart, put it back together with the valves turned around 180° for "marching baritone" configuration, and the bell rotated to curve up instead of to the right.

There's nothing wrong with building something for the sake of doing so. It would cost a good bit more to take a marching baritone (a product sold by the endless thousands to American high schools) tilt the bell upward a bit, and fit it with top button action activated rotary valves... But we're doing those things to it make it into a better instrument?

Again, the Yamaha version is pretty good - though expensive (because it's Yamaha), the JP Yamaha copy is a little bit better and half the price, I believe I like the King better than any of the rest of them, but it sticks out further and it's probably harder to hold up for a long period of time... but something tells me that the instrument built by the European gentleman costs way more than any of those... and/but are any of those little differences in it improvements? ... or are they just interesting and cool?

By the same token (sort of turned around backwards), I've played quite a few instruments marketed as bass trumpets and a few really expensive boutique European made bass trumpets, yet the instrument that seems to me to be the best bass trumpet of any of them is the long discontinued King flugabone. (A friend of mine owns one of those fancy European boutique bass trumpets. I pulled out my flugabone and showed it to him. He played it. Guess what he went and bought?)

Forget the bass Flugelhorn, I've got that covered by Blessing marching baritone has that covered. As Bloke says, my Bach flugabone covers bass trumpet and valve trombone (although the small bore king is probably better as bass trumpet)....

I want an Eb Flugel... I think the last american made model was the short lived 1960's Bach Contralto. Although that looks more like an alto cornet and less conical than a true flugelhorn.

gocsick wrote: Tue Nov 11, 2025 11:07 am Forget the bass Flugelhorn, I've got that covered by Blessing marching baritone has that covered. As Bloke says, my Bach flugabone covers bass trumpet and valve trombone (although the small bore king is probably better as bass trumpet)....

I want an Eb Flugel... I think the last american made model was the short lived 1960's Bach Contralto. Although that looks more like an alto cornet and less cylindrical than a true flugelhorn.

You need one of those DEG alto cornet things. Nominally in F but with Eb slides. I sold one on here a few years ago. @funkhoss

That DEG alto cornet is a nice horn. Great intonation, and plays well both low and high. However, it's definitely an alto cornet and not a flugel.

A true flugel in low E-flat would need a much wider taper and larger bell throat.

Those D.E.G. things were made by Kurath (aka "Willson") and I've seen TWO version...larger and smaller bell flare.

My oboe-playing daughter (30 years ago) was going to use one (that I had picked up - and they were outfitted with both F and E-flat slides) for football games (she figured out all the fingerings/scales/etc. - trial-and-error - in about an hour), but - instead - she realized that a piccolo would be much easier to deal with (take apart, wrap a washcloth around it for protection, slip it into band uniform trouser pocket before/after games).

gocsick wrote: Tue Nov 11, 2025 11:07 am I want an Eb Flugel...

Solo Alto Horn is what you're looking for.

Craig F wrote: Tue Nov 11, 2025 12:41 pm

gocsick wrote: Tue Nov 11, 2025 11:07 am I want an Eb Flugel...

Solo Alto Horn is what you're looking for.

The Besson Sovereign/Prestige ones (E-flat - tuba-orientation config) seem to play really well.
(not by me, but I heard an incredible player play one that - somehow - we ended up for sale, back when we were brick-and-mortar.)