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Tuba/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| When was this tuba made? | 2/4/2012 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I am a Brass teacher and recently found an old, very dust Bb Tuba in an unused cupboard at school. ... A: Greetings, Kees! As for the age of your tuba, I do not have access to Salvation Army band ... | ||
| Purchasing a Tuba | 1/29/2012 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I'm a freshman in high school, and I'm interested in purchasing a tuba. I've been playing since the ... A: Dupri! Glad to hear that you're enjoying your time on the tuba. It is particularly nice to see ... | ||
| tuba | 1/25/2012 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: i previously asked a question about a boosey and hawkes tuba. i thought it was BBb but it turns out ... A: Robin, Glad you were able to find out more information about your tuba. Eb tubas are higher in ... | ||
| Tuba | 1/22/2012 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: Sir, I have an old f besson brevete 50319 tuba that was given to me years ago that I need to sell. ... A: Greetings, Frank! Assuming the instrument is in playable condition and is a relatively dent-free, ... | ||
| Allergic Reaction to Tuba Mouthpiece | 1/12/2012 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: My daughter uses a Helleberg 7B mouthpiece and the area above her upper lip and below her bottom lip ... A: Diane! There are a few reasons why the contact surface of the mouthpiece is red. The first ... | ||
| value of sousaphone | 12/12/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I'm wondering if you might supply an approximate value of an old Beaufort (American Chicago) ... A: Dan! To find the key, the easiest thing to do is measure the length of the second valve slide. A ... | ||
| Purchasing a tuba for student | 12/11/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: My daughter (15) has been playing tuba for 6 years and is an advanced student. We want to get her a ... A: Greetings, Celia! It is really fantastic to hear that your daughter has discovered the joy of ... | ||
| Sousaphone american Knight deluxe | 11/25/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I am writing to ask if you know who manufactured the American Knight de luxe made in USA ... A: Hola, Cantu! Unfortunately, I do not have any sources that list the maker of the American Knight ... | ||
| BAT | 11/24/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: Yes your correct im from norway, and sorry but your wrong...a brassband consists of 10cornets(1 of ... A: Brynjar, I am familiar with British-style brass bands, as well. From your earlier post, it was not ... | ||
| Besson F tuba | 10/27/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I am currently looking at purchasing an old Besson F tuba. It is compensating and the valves are ... A: Charles! The British F tuba . . . a very interesting story. In general, there were two types of ... | ||
| St. Petersburg Eb 206 4V | 10/25/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I would like to know about this horn. Good price, very shape, but I have no idea about the sound ... A: Saudações, Dante! St. Petersburg tubas are pretty decent horns. They usually come in one of two ... | ||
| Besson 2-20 Tuba | 10/19/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I picked up at Besson 2-20 tuba at a thrift store. Serial number 481896 I was wondering what kind ... A: Karen! Based upon your serial number, it would appear that your tuba was made in the late 1940's - ... | ||
| value of tuba | 8/29/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I have a CG Conn LTD tuba. It is silver or silver plated-model or serial # is 222501. It is a 3 ... A: Leslie! Conn made some very nice tubas. It appears that the tuba you have was made around 1925. I ... | ||
| Tuba age and value | 8/23/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I own a Besson BBb tuba that has the following inscribed on it - "Class A, Besson and Co., ... A: Greetings, Dave! Based upon your serial number alone, it would appear that your instrument was made ... | ||
| Schiller Marching Euphonium | 8/8/2011 | David Clancy |
| Q: I have a question about the quality of the schiller marching euphonium. It seems to be an odd set ... A: First of all, sorry for the late response. I've been having a lot of marching band stuff going on ... | ||
| I don't know what it is | 7/28/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I have a Tuba I think that is either an F or Eb It has 4 rotory valves and on the bell it says ... A: Fred, Thanks for the picture. It appears that your tuba is of a more recent vintage, and is ... | ||
| I don't know what it is | 7/27/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I have a Tuba I think that is either an F or Eb It has 4 rotory valves and on the bell it says ... A: Fred. Without a picture or additional information, it would be impossible to determine the pitch of ... | ||
| Cerveny CBB683 "Arion" tuba | 7/18/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I'm currently a music minor looking to buy a horn. I've done "some" comparing and contrasting ... A: Lindsey, At one time I owned a CBB-681 BBb tuba; It was my first tuba. It was a decent horn, ... | ||
| Installing new valve guides | 5/18/2011 | David Clancy |
| Q: I just got a new valve guide for my Yamaha 321s. How do I remove the old valve guide and install ... A: I believe the valve guides for YEP-321S are plastic and secured with some type of adhesive. I'm not ... | ||
| Pistons on a tuba | 4/16/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I was wondering how you know which piston goes in which hole? Are they marked somewhere? This is for ... A: Tinker! If you look at the top surface of the valve, there should be a number or one, two or three ... | ||
| Tuba York & Sons EEb 1926 | 4/14/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: Would like an opinion on that tuba. I'm buying this Tuba but had no chance to play it I think I can ... A: Dante! York made very fine tubas. Particular problems confronting older tubas are mostly due to ... | ||
| what is my tuba | 4/9/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I rescued a small tuba from some people threatening to use it as a garden ornament. It had been ... A: Greetings, Cecilia! Good luck with your tuba rescue! First, let's deal with "Orpheus." Orpheus is a ... | ||
| Boosey and Co Imperial Model, BBb Tuba 3 Valve. | 4/2/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: Have had this tuba since I was a little girl! Unfortunately am having to sell it due to storage ... A: Elizabeth! Although prices vary from time to time and from place to place, a general ballpark value ... | ||
| Bb & Eb Tuba | 3/8/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I have acquired an array of instruments for a new youth band. We have I believe two Bb Tuba's Besson ... A: Darren. I'll have to admit up front that I am not as familiar with the British brass band as I am ... | ||
| tuba recommendation | 3/7/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I am looking for a 3/4 size bb piston valve tuba to use in small ensembles and local theatre ... A: Peter! Your question is an interesting one. Just to let you know up front, there is no standard ... | ||
| F tuba | 2/26/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: Mr Jones, I am currently finishing my bachelor's degree in performance. I have played a lot of tuba ... A: Neil! Congratulations on your pending degree! So, you're about to start a masters of trombone, too. ... | ||
| measuring an instrument's bore | 2/22/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I've always wondered how you find the valve cluster, or the place where you measure a euphonium's ... A: Ivan! There are generally two places that you can measure the bore. One is to use your calipers and ... | ||
| american style baritone types | 2/21/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I'm looking at the current american style baritone models; the yamaha yep 211 and the holton b601r, ... A: Ivan. The current King baritone/euphoniums have the following bore sizes: Concert ... | ||
| american style baritone types | 2/21/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I'm looking at the current american style baritone models; the yamaha yep 211 and the holton b601r, ... A: Greetings, Ivan! The Yamaha YEP 211 and Holton B601 baritones are both made by Yamaha - I would be ... | ||
| Two outlet tuba | 2/20/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I asked a guy that plays tuba sometime in our banjo band. His answer was it was a Double Bell ... A: Greetings, Edward! You are absolutely correct: Double Bell Euphonium. These instruments were very ... | ||
| Boosey and Hawkes Tuba | 2/15/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I have a 1960s era Boosey and Hawkes Salvation Army Dixie tuba. It's in good condition, some dings ... A: Leslie! Your Boosey & Hawkes tuba appears to be in very good cosmetic shape. Boosey & Hawkes tubas ... | ||
| used BBb tuba | 2/13/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I badly want a big 5valve bbb tuba. But only have about 6000$ to spend. I play in a brassband, so ... A: Greetings, Brynjar! By "brassband" I assume you're talking about an ensemble with both woodwinds as ... | ||
| J. W. YORK & SONS TUBA | 2/9/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I have my husband's tuba that he played in the high school band in the 50's I do not know what type ... A: Greetings, Regina! Your best best to get an estimated value would be to take it to a local ... | ||
| Yamaha 641 | 2/3/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I just stumbled upon this site and have enjoyed reading through your responses. I inherited my ... A: Susie! You are very lucky to have inherited your father's tuba, and that you are able to enjoy ... | ||
| Besson | 1/29/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I have a Besson BB tuba that I have owned for nearly 30 years and which I purchased from a school ... A: Jerry! Based upon your serial number, it would appear that your tuba was made around 1959. If your ... | ||
| Minick 20J | 1/23/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I recently came into possession of a "Minickized" 20J. This is what I was told about it: it was ... A: Greetings, Norman! I have not seen this particular horn, but it sounds very interesting. One of the ... | ||
| Couesnon Tuba | 1/22/2011 | David Clancy |
| Q: I am currently student teaching at a middle school, and the other day I was going through their ... A: Couesnon, post WWII was mainly associated with brass bands and military brass. This is one of the ... | ||
| Sousaphone | 1/18/2011 | David Clancy |
| Q: My wife has a sousaphone which belonged to her grandfather. The markings on it say American standard ... A: Generally tubas are not my strong-suit when it comes to assessing value of an instrument. However, I ... | ||
| Shoulder and Neck Pain | 1/3/2011 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: I played tuba from 4th grade and into college with a lot of that time playing a sousaphone. I ... A: Tommie. Sorry to hear of the pain in your left shoulder. You are not alone. I can relate, from ... | ||
| Conn 20J tuba | 12/29/2010 | Carl M. Jones |
| Q: Have a 20J Conn tuba, s/n 835020. What is age, and what is value. I just had it completely gone ... A: Lou Ann, You may be able to find a buyer that will make your investment worthwhile. I don't know if ... | ||
Carl M. Jones
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can provide answers to most questions related to the tuba, specifically performance and playing related questions. Questions related to instrument and mouthpiece selection are welcome. I will provide my opinion on which models and brands to consider or avoid. I also can provide a rough idea of an instruments worth and age based upon experience and internet resources.
Experience
I've performed professionally on BBb, CC, EEb, and F tubas in a wide variety of ensembles, from dixieland jazz and solos to orchestras and wind ensembles in the U.S. and across Europe. I've played tuba for 31 years, since the fourth grade, and taught private students on two continents.
Organizations
76th U.S. Army Band (former member)
Southern Brass Project
Education/Credentials
B.S. Music Education,
B.B.A. (Finance) Magna cum Laude,
M.B.A.,
M.A.P.A.,
Graduate of U.S. Army School of Music
Awards and Honors
Arion National Music Award,
John Phillip Sousa Award
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