The One That ALMOST Got Away

[tubatodd]

I've seen this topic in bass and vehicle forums. People talking about an instrument or vehicle they sold or gave away that they wish they had back. For me, I wish I had my 2003 Honda Element back. I pretty much donated it to a church that fixed it up to gift to one of their people. So I guess I can let that go. I would love to still own an Element though.

As far as tubas, I recently posted my Rudi Meinl 4/4 CC for sale. I had some decent interest, but couldn't work out reasonable logistics to get instruments transported. That turned out to be a blessing. I've been playing this horn more lately and I really like it. Yesterday, I finally got to bring it my monthly concert band rehearsal. This was only the second time it's left the house and the first time in a room with reasonable acoustics. Oh my! It was such a pleasure to play. I am so glad I didn't let it go.

What about y'all? Any horns you wish you hadn't let go or glad you decided to keep?

[bort2.0]

I think many excellent tubas sound terrible in the carpeted, low-ceiling spaces where we practice. It is a poor way to evaluate an instrument, for sure. And I'm definitely guilty of that.

For example, I was pretty unimpressed with the B&S GR-41 that I had. It was fine, but unexciting, and had that strange timbre when you pushed it hard, where it sounded like a medium sized tuba trying to do too much. I think the only time I played it in public was at a TubaChristmas, and it was glorious in the large space. None of the "backing up" kind of sound and it just projected like crazy. Very cool. I don't regret selling it, but I do think that smaller spaces (and all the sound waves and science that happens with small spaces) don't do us any favors.

I also had a Rudy 4/4 for a while. Very nice tuba, but I got lured away by larger things. I don't regret it, but sometimes I do wish I could have more than 1 tuba.

I will always miss my old Miraphone 188. At this point, I have to wonder if the tuba is as good as it is in my memory. One day, I'll find another to try.

Also wish that my willson 3050 rz had worked out better for me. I loved the sound, but the ergonomics were terrible and I had to sell it for the sake of my wrist and elbow. Same with the PT-7.

The rotary PT-6 was a painful sale. I sold it to get down payment money for buying a house. I miss that tuba. Still have the house, so that's good.

The most painful sale of all was the big 5/4 Rudy BBb. The most glorious tuba sound I've ever prodcued, and a tuba that I had wanted to own for nearly 30 years. It was a dream.

For all of these, I like to say: "They made more"

[bort2.0]

PS, I forgot the most important thing -- I'm glad to hear that you kept the Rudy 4/4 and that it's working well for you!

IIRC, I really liked the RM1. (dot) with that tuba.

[tubatodd]

PS, I forgot the most important thing -- I'm glad to hear that you kept the Rudy 4/4 and that it's working well for you!

IIRC, I really liked the RM1. (dot) with that tuba.

Thanks. I am using the Mr. P 5.0 on both of my CC horns. It works very well for them.

[tubanh84]

The one I miss the most is the Rudy 5/4 I played for a couple years. Loved that horn.

I had and sold a PT6. It's probably the best horn I've ever played. I don't miss it, though. As good as it was, I was never attached to it. If I were taking auditions, playing professionally, and needed the best tool for the job, it would have gotten the nod hands down. But it didn't make me extend practice sessions the way the Rudy did.

I played a 184CC for a year in college for my junior recital, and I missed that one so much that when one came up for sale a couple years ago, I bought it immediately.

The only other one that I miss miss is a B&S Symphonie I played for maybe 20 minutes one day in around 2005 that I haven't stopped thinking about since.

[Mary Ann]

My NStar did get away but I bought it back four years later, at considerable loss (paid quite a bit more to get it back than I sold it for, but there was no other available in the entire country at that point. One week later I could have gotten a new one from Dillon but oh well. And I still paid a few thou less than the new one would have been.)
Violin got away, with criminal help.

[tubatodd]

The tuba that DID get away was my Yamaha 822 F tuba. I sold it about a year after I graduated college. I wish I could have afforded to keep it at that time.

[Bob Kolada]

I bought an F contrabass trumpet from Grant at the contrabass compendium website. I emailed him asking about it, he said he was primarily a saxophone player and was up for selling it. Super cool horn, tons of core, played very well. It went away in a purge, along with my Kanstul contrabass trombone and my 4 front valve Conn Giant Eb tuba (not a great tuba). I also sold an Olds marching trombone that I regret (along with an earlier Chinese rotary bass trumpet).

http://www.contrabass.com/pages/cbtp.html

At least I've learned enough from that to keep my bass trombone and cimbasso. Getzen basses are crazy expensive now and the cimbasso is one of a kind.

[Sousaswag]

I have two that I wish I could've kept.

1) My small bell Thor, sold to purchase a MRP-C. I wished that tuba had a large bell, but I really loved it. Impeccable pitch, responded great, made a lot of things easy.

2) My HB-2P. I could probably acquire another one, but nothing as pristine as that tuba. To be clear, I wouldn't have what I have without selling that 2P, but nonetheless, I would still have it if I could.

Cars?? I had a 1994 Dodge Ram 2500 for a little while when I was a very early driver. 5 speed too. It rusted away. I would love to have another one that didn't live in the Midwest it's entire life.

[cktuba]

1. Rudy Meinl 4/4 CC
2. Kalison Pro 2000
3. Yamaha 822F

[bloke]

I drove the wheels off of all my cars, so far have never paid as much as $10,000 for any of them. (Except for the amount of time it takes to wear them out, cars are sort of like kleenexes, whereas - after several years - I've sold most of my tubas for more money than I paid for them.)
Several of my tubas have been really good (two or three others were way too much trouble to play in tune, and I'm not going to mention their models, because I don't want to get anyone's dander up), but none of the really good ones were any better than any I have now; I can only play one at a time, and maybe only two or three at the most on a gig.

Putting aside the truism that we all like to recite about a really good player can make any tuba sound great, it's pretty difficult to make a bad tuba sound great, and a really good tuba helps a "pretty good player" sound a whole lot better than they would otherwise. (A really good tuba also tends to encourage a pretty good player to practice, because it's more like floating in the air as opposed to dragging around a boulder.)

As far as cars are concerned, buying Toyotas generally prevents a whole lot of headaches. One of our Toyotas is a 2002 that we bought in 2007 or so (nicely repaired, in spite of having been wrecked) with a salvage title (I believe we may have paid $800 in 2007 money). We don't plan to drive it till Alaska or anything, but recently we've driven it on 300 - 500 miles one-day round trips. Everything works, including the air. I think it's reading about 235, 000, right now. The other one's reading about 210,000. I plan to drive that one to Pittsburgh in a month or two (roughly a 1500 miles round trip).

[The Brute Squad]

The DS did get away for a while. I'm glad I was able to eventually buy another one.

[arpthark]

Ten years ago, there was a Besson 15" bell 4v compensating Eb that I bought when I still lived in Louisville, KY. I found it on eBay for a very low price. I loved that thing and it really started my on-again/off-again relationships with these horns. I stripped the flaking lacquer off of it and gave it a satin-brass Scotchbrite finish which looked great. However, my Eb reading chops weren't (and aren't) up to snuff, I wasn't using it in any ensembles, and I was a very poor graduate student and had to pay rent, so I sold it.

Last year, on a lark, I messaged the person I sold it to and found out he wasn't using it, so I bought it back.

Here it was in 2016 when I first stripped it:



And in 2025 when I got it back:



Not bad for 9 years of patina! It was a nice reunion. But, having gone through four or five of these 15" bell Bessons over the years I became a little more sensitive to their idiosyncrasies, and realized this one had some issues and was harder to steer than the other ones I had played. It was nice to be reunited with it for a few months and think about the things I did with it -- I remember specifically taking it to my parents' pool and serenading my then-girlfriend/now-wife as she was floating around. I'm sure she loved that!

But, it was time to let it go, and I sold it to someone who was interested in buying their first bass tuba.

(In the past two or so years, I have gone through four of these horns -- a 1920s Boosey & Co., a nice 1970s model I sold to @sweaty, the one above, and the current one I own, which was mislabeled as a BBb and covered in dirt when I bought it. It ended up being the nicest player of the four. But I think that one will also go out the door soon because I just don't play it enough.)

So, that one got away, came back, and went away again, all amicably.

My PT-6, though? Can't believe I sold that. If you ever see it again, let me know (15-year-old pic):


I had just driven an all-nighter 16hr drive in my little stick shift 1998 Chevy S-10 from KY to Washington, DC where I bought this from Jon Voth, turned around and drove back, and snapped this pic in my living room at like 3am as soon as I returned.

[anadmai]

So pretty.

[tubatodd]

I had another awesome rehearsal with the Rudi Meinl yesterday. The more I play it, the more I absolutely love it. The tone is fantastic. The second valve lever is a game changer for achieving great intonation.

[anadmai]

I've seen this topic in bass and vehicle forums. People talking about an instrument or vehicle they sold or gave away that they wish they had back. For me, I wish I had my 2003 Honda Element back. I pretty much donated it to a church that fixed it up to gift to one of their people. So I guess I can let that go. I would love to still own an Element though.

I miss my 2003 Honda Element. The must functional car I ever drove.

[tubatodd]

Not that anyone cares besides me, but I've decided to invest more into the Rudi Meinl. I just ordered a Dillon AGR to have installed. The out-of-round receiver is just ever so slightly...well..out of round. So when playing the mouthpiece can wiggle loose. The AGR will address that AND give me mouthpiece shank and gap options. I discussed the install requirements/process with Matt Walters and went over it with my local guy. Install should be done sometime after Easter.

Speaking of investment, I can't decide if I want to LATER invest in a replacement bell or if this 40+ year-old bell just has the right "mojo" and I shouldn't mess with a good thing.

[tubanh84]

I've seen this topic in bass and vehicle forums. People talking about an instrument or vehicle they sold or gave away that they wish they had back. For me, I wish I had my 2003 Honda Element back. I pretty much donated it to a church that fixed it up to gift to one of their people. So I guess I can let that go. I would love to still own an Element though.

I miss my 2003 Honda Element. The must functional car I ever drove.

I drive a 2005 Pilot. I know I need to replace it soon (i.e., within a year), as it's at 250k miles, and the electronics are failing. It's incredible how resilient Hondas of that generation are, though. I stopped investing in getting it serviced a couple years ago, when it stopped being worth the money. My philosophy was, it's essentially worthless at this point. No sale value. I'll drive it until it dies but won't throw money away at it to keep it going. But it hasn't died yet. Thing is still chugging. I have ALWAYS wanted an Element. Mostly because I know how good the Pilot is, and the Element just seems that bit more functional for what I do.

I think many excellent tubas sound terrible in the carpeted, low-ceiling spaces where we practice. It is a poor way to evaluate an instrument, for sure. And I'm definitely guilty of that.

There was a practice room at my college that was particularly small and ill-shaped. No carpet. But a terrible room. And I swear to you, my intonation was noticeably worse in that room. Basically unplayable in there.

[catgrowlB]

Not that anyone cares besides me, but I've decided to invest more into the Rudi Meinl. I just ordered a Dillon AGR to have installed. The out-of-round receiver is just ever so slightly...well..out of round. So when playing the mouthpiece can wiggle loose. The AGR will address that AND give me mouthpiece shank and gap options. I discussed the install requirements/process with Matt Walters and went over it with my local guy. Install should be done sometime after Easter.

Speaking of investment, I can't decide if I want to LATER invest in a replacement bell or if this 40+ year-old bell just has the right "mojo" and I shouldn't mess with a good thing.

I think it's great you are enjoying your Rudi and giving it more attention If your bell sounds and looks good, why replace it? Don't mess up a good thing. I think it would be costly and tedious to remove your Rudi bell (lots of careful unsoldering to remove it), and buy a new one from Germany (expensive), have it shipped over and worry about the gorilla handlers here in the US who may crease/damage it, and then smooth it out and solder it on. I'd leave the bell alone, but that's me. You will probably crave your tuba even more after you have your AGR installed in the spring.

I myself need to sell a couple sousas and a bell front tuba that are just laying here. Things have fizzled out for me over the last couple years, and I need the money more than I need those horns just laying there...

Thought about selling my modified MW 2155r, but I really want to keep it, even though I only play a few gigs a year. I have other tubas that do the job. But even though the Meinl has a few workable pitch flaws, it just blows many other tubas out of the water on sound and response. It's like the best combo of Alexander, Yamaha, and vintage Conn, and it has garnered more acclaim on sound than any other tuba I have.

[anadmai]

I discussed the install requirements/process with Matt Walters

Let's hear it for Uncle Matt!! Love the guy!! He's the bestest.