Cool. I’m happy with a Symphonie, but this looks fascinating.

& isn't a letter. :laugh:


I can't think of what other brand they could be thinking of lol


Ich bin verwirrt. "Blechblas und Signalinstrumentefabrik" has 35 letters.


Mine just barely says anything at all; it’s not lacquered, and I suspect the previous owner kept it shiny (which it was ...

There is a line of rotary F tubas made by a popular 3-letter brand that some of you go nuts over. I personally dislike the way those tubas play/sound, but some of you guys go on and on about them. I just roll my eyes and move on....

To each their own :coffee:


I don’t get to compare enough ...

bort2.0 wrote: Sun Jul 26, 2026 7:49 am

UncleBeer wrote: Sat Jul 25, 2026 10:18 pm Nitpicking here: The measurements are wrong: 20mm ain't 0.75". It's .787". No idea what the actual bore is.

I saw that too. I'm guessing the millimeters are correct and the inches are wrong.

My little rotary F is 21mm after the last valve. Should I be calling it a 6/4 tuba?

wild card: condition of rotors

I sorta quit buying from Europe (even though affordable shipping) because I've received too many that needed their pistons or rotors rebuilt.

Otherwise, (yes?) great models (with great prices) would have sold quickly/easily locally.

If someone over this way buys ...

I’m surprised this is still here. Is it the lack of pictures? Are 188s out of style now? If I listed mine, it would likely be for about the same price, and mine’s about 40 years farther away from new and perfect.

Good luck with the sale!

the West Side Story dance suite, wind band arrangement, on trombone. Performance will be Sunday.

18 months of recreational dilettante trombone playing did not prepare me for this.

bump

bort2.0 wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2026 9:05 pm ...

I told him I had my own concert tonight (which I just got home from), but it was too late and probably too much for him to sit through.

Congratulations!

What are you playing now?

Can't resist piling on: my F Symphonie is a joy to play. I could say that it's a much better tuba than I deserve, but it's a great help to know that any bad sounds are all my fault; I never waste time blaming the instrument. And it wasn't even expensive.

I like the little luggage latches to hold the joints together.

I don’t know when Steve Bryant started at UT—he was there when I moved to Austin in 1981 (I worked with his wife at TxDOT). Sumner Erickson started in Pittsburgh in 1981 after one semester at Curtis, and Steve always claimed him as a private student, so he had to have been there for at least a few ...

bort2.0 wrote: Mon Mar 09, 2026 9:45 pm Aw jeez, how did I not see this one?

because you're subconsciously waiting for me to realize I'm not playing my 188 enough to keep it?

Sounds like I shouldn't look to you for a used oboe.

Now I’m curious about the source material for all those AI imaginings.

I had one of these a few years ago as my first C tuba (same bag, too — maybe it’s even the same tuba), and liked it a lot.

ParLawGod wrote: Thu Jan 08, 2026 7:15 pm ... Agree, the union immediately brought up China...I suspect to add public pressure.

A local instrument repair shop got an email from Conn-Selmer that included

we’re streamlining our manufacturing processes ... and fostering our Chinese factory

I thought maybe I had an (emotional) dog in this fight, but both my trombones say “Elkhart”.

The story also said,

Conn Selmer sent 19 News a statement after our story aired, saying they haven’t made a final decision yet.
…
The announcement was made on the first day of contract negotiations between the UAW and Conn Selmer, Kalman stated.

So maybe some of it is posturing by Conn Selmer.

bloke wrote: Wed Jan 07, 2026 9:17 pm ... The current side topic is "giant tubas made in the past in the B&S factory".

An old BBb B&S 103 doesn't count as "giant", right? It's just normal size but kinda tall?