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B&S Symphonie F tubas in Silver plate
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2026 3:16 pm
by Timtamtuba
Just a random question were any of these ever made in silver plate? I know silver plate wasn't exactly the favored finish in Germany let alone the GDR but ive realized I've never even seen one in silver so my assumption is none were ever made.
Re: B&S Symphonie F tubas in Silver plate
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2026 3:27 pm
by JCTuba67
They definitely exist.
Re: B&S Symphonie F tubas in Silver plate
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2026 4:12 pm
by bloke
I serviced a "Perantucci" that was silver plated (pre-PT10).
Those were imported to a Michigan shop which charged fancy prices.
Most of the Symphonie models were imported by those retailers looking for the absolute cheapest version they could sell:
- lacquer
- 5 rotors
- (back then) only cost importers a few hundred bucks
....
that silver PT-10
That player failed his doctoral recital, didn't receive his DMA in time for his tenure deadline, and lost his freakin' job.
WHEN I SERVICED THE TUBA AFTER THE RECITAL...
the ENTIRE valve section was COATED (all the way around ALL the tubing in the ENTIRE valve section) with a c. 1/8th inch thick coating of white "weird $h!t"...ABSOLUTELY disgusting, but no damn wonder he failed his recital.
Re: B&S Symphonie F tubas in Silver plate
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2026 6:46 pm
by arpthark
I’ve seen a couple and always kind of suspected they were States-side Anderson Plating jobs by the importers: imported and then plated in Indiana and then sold in Michigan and Giardinelli’s and wherever else. I’ve seen a Piggy like that, too.
Re: B&S Symphonie F tubas in Silver plate
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2026 6:56 pm
by bort2.0
Perhaps if it was made for Ulbricht himself.
Re: B&S Symphonie F tubas in Silver plate
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2026 7:48 pm
by bloke
Mine could certainly use a new finish after 44 years.
I was going to shoot it with clear.
If y'all want to see a silver one (though a nuisance to maintain), I'd accept donations for Anderson charges and to/from gasoline cost.
It'll be pretty... for a while.
I wouldn't use GoFundMe... I'm probably not very good at writing a "heartfelt" sob story about needing silver on my tuba.
I don't believe I want the gold-plated slides.
Everyone will assume it's a Chinese knockoff.
Re: B&S Symphonie F tubas in Silver plate
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2026 8:03 pm
by russiantuba
I owned a factory silver B&S Perantucci Model F from the 1980s. I believe I have seen a symphonie that was silver, in a somewhat recent post.
Re: B&S Symphonie F tubas in Silver plate
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2026 8:20 pm
by prodigal
russiantuba wrote: Thu Jun 25, 2026 8:03 pm
I owned a factory silver B&S Perantucci Model F from the 1980s. I believe I have seen a symphonie that was silver, in a somewhat recent post.
There was a silver PT-10 at Dillon's about a year ago.
Re: B&S Symphonie F tubas in Silver plate
Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2026 12:43 am
by Søren
Here are my BBb and F Symphonie tubas in silver (and a B&S CC in raw brass in the middle). It is quite some years since they looked this polished.....
- P1010777.JPG (88.01 KiB) Viewed 6206 times
Re: B&S Symphonie F tubas in Silver plate
Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2026 10:49 am
by bloke
Discussions of this model always circle back around to Steve's "dent".
I LIKE Steve, and I'm not looking to argue with Steve about this or anything else.
He has finally posted a picture of his "dent".
My instrument suffered a nearly identical dent in the distant past.
(I'm thinking I clumsily dropped a mouthpiece when working on it in the shop with the linkage removed.) It accomplished nothing positive - certainly not that I was able to perceive. I'll removed it with a magnet and went on about my day.
Re: B&S Symphonie F tubas in Silver plate
Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2026 3:42 pm
by Timtamtuba
bloke wrote: Thu Jun 25, 2026 4:12 pm
I serviced a "Perantucci" that was silver plated (pre-PT10).
Those were imported to a Michigan shop which charged fancy prices.
Most of the Symphonie models were imported by those retailers looking for the absolute cheapest version they could sell:
- lacquer
- 5 rotors
- (back then) only cost importers a few hundred bucks
....
that silver PT-10
That player failed his doctoral recital, didn't receive his DMA in time for his tenure deadline, and lost his freakin' job.
WHEN I SERVICED THE TUBA AFTER THE RECITAL...
the ENTIRE valve section was COATED (all the way around ALL the tubing in the ENTIRE valve section) with a c. 1/8th inch thick coating of white "weird $h!t"...ABSOLUTELY disgusting, but no damn wonder he failed his recital.
Lol sorry I didnt see this earlier that's hilarious and gross at the same time. I worry about his own personal hygiene if that's how he treated what i assume is a relatively expensive tuba
Re: B&S Symphonie F tubas in Silver plate
Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2026 3:48 pm
by prodigal
Maybe he was using beer as a secondary "valve" oil.
Not throwing stones here...
Re: B&S Symphonie F tubas in Silver plate
Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2026 3:51 pm
by Timtamtuba
bloke wrote: Thu Jun 25, 2026 7:48 pm
Mine could certainly use a new finish after 44 years.
I was going to shoot it with clear.
If y'all want to see a silver one (though a nuisance to maintain), I'd accept donations for Anderson charges and to/from gasoline cost.
It'll be pretty... for a while.
I wouldn't use GoFundMe... I'm probably not very good at writing a "heartfelt" sob story about needing silver on my tuba.
I don't believe I want the gold-plated slides.
Everyone will assume it's a Chinese knockoff.
Personally I can't think of any combination of gold and silver
That wouldn't look tacky and seemingly overcompensating for something.