Posted by Art H on November 27, 2001 at 00:23:52:
Austin's photos of his "Borg Tuba" posted here a few weeks ago inspired me to ask my brother-in-Law to photograph my own with his fancy digital camera. My father bought this BBb Martin second-hand for $65 from Vincent Bach's brother and played it for 65 years. Harold Beverage, an RCA radio genius and amateur musician, offered him $1000 for it back in 1935, but only if my father could teach him to get the same sound that he did. I gave him an old Beuscher helicon bell for it, which he used instead of the original forward bell for indoor concerts. Last year I grafted a Walter Nirschl valve section and a Bohm & Meinl leadpipe onto it and now I use it in the Connecticut Symphonic Band. I think it's the heaviest tuba I have ever played.