Expert: Kenton Scott - 1/7/2007

Question
Hello,
i recently purchased what i believe to be a tuba,it looks very old to me and i am having extreme difficulty finding any information on the company it is marked by,as you can probably tell i am not instrument savvy at all,but i have tried researching online for even a tad bit of information on the name which is brisson & cie,from what i can see the only markings on this is just that brisson & cie then paris underneath,it has 3 keys with cork underneath of the keys and on the side of the keys has the numbers 49,50,51.any information you can contibute will be very much appreciated and i thank you in advance.

Answer
Hi Kristi,

I can only find a brief reference to Brisson & cie which states they were in business in the late 1800's.  The corks on the valve top caps would be consistent with that time period.  I would be interested in seeing pictures of your instrument.  (You could send them to Kenton@punxypa.com) The numbers on the valves are only production numbers so that the casing and the piston could be kept together.