Antique Musical Instruments/Identifying an old Tuba

Advertisement

Expert: - 1/29/2011


Question
I have a 3 piston valve tuba that predates 1900. It plays beautifully, but looks ugly.  Between having survived a fire many decades ago and being stored in a barn until I found it, the brass finish is practically gone and I have not been able to find any serial numbers or manufacturers identification on it.  Any suggestions on where I could go to find out more about this really cool horn?

Answer
How did you determine that it was pre-1900?  Horns of that period were either plated in silver/gold, or were in raw brass (or nickel silver which is a form of brass).  So, the horn would be made of brass, so there would be no finish (lacquer) on it.

If you want to send pictures to me at Kenton@punxypa.com, I might possibly be able to tell you more about it.  

Antique Musical Instruments

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Kenton Scott

Expertise

Please note: My area is BRASS instruments, not other wind, string or percussion instruments. I will provide information on antique, obscure and out of production BRASS instruments. 1) Please don't ask for evaluations, I'll not provide them on this site. 2) I am often asked very similar questions, so I'd invite you to first check on Horn-u-Copia.net. Much of the information I have garnered about this topic, I have posted on this WEB site.

Experience

I perform in several historical bands, have informally researched the area, repair brass instruments, and operate a Forum dedicated to the topic at http://horn-u-copia.net

Education/Credentials
B.S. Ed, M.S.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.