Have you ever sold a tuba that...

[York-aholic]

Was amazing in every way, but you didn't feel like as a player, you deserved?

I did that with my Adams E3 euphonium. It was basically one of kind, and the case could be made that it was at the best adams ever built, and Miel said due to the cost and complexity of building short action valves, he's not going to build any more

But I decided I didn't need or deserve an instrument so nice, so I started using my 5 valve king and sold the adams to finance my miraphone Norwegian Star Eb

Now keep on mind I already had a nice York Eb I built myself and was happy with, but the miraphone is superior to it in every way.

But I never play it. I have a BBb for teaching lessons, and my orchestra never plays anything that demands an bass tuba, and if they did, I still have the york if I need something like that

So I'm going to put it up for sale soon, and use that money to finance some modifications of the muscle car in my profile pic. I dont feel much like a tuba player anymore because my chops are shot, and I can get by easily with my 2 BBb tuba (maybe just the Eastman) and the york

It's sad because I listed after a Norwegian Star for 15 years, but it's actually depressing have your dream horn and not having the chops or opportunity to play it like I could 10 to 15 years ago

That's my confession. Prepare to see a really fabulous Eb come up for sale soon. I got it for 7k, and that what I'm going to list it for.

[the elephant]

I felt a little like that when I sold my Adams F to Ed Jones. I liked my Kurath better; however, in truth, the Adams was the better of the two. I guess the Kurath suits me better.

Like you, I felt like the Adams was "too nice" for me: I always felt like I might mess it up.

I feel like that about my YamaYork, too — BUT I DON'T CARE!

HAHAHA!!!

[Tubeast]

My approach to this has been different, and I admit it may be subject to alteration.

As a young and inexperienced tubist two years in, I bought a used Melton 46 as an upgrade from my old and beat-up 3/4 3v BBb.
Back then, I figured I OWED that instrument to play it as efficiently and beautifully as I possibly could, but I NEVER felt bad I wasn´t "outplaying the horn".

Decades later, I still think a better horn is the enemy of a good one, and I also believe I deserve to play the best instrument I can afford, even if over time my playing might degenerate.
I might part with horns I may find no use for anymore, but I don´t see myself trading a very fine tuba for a lesser one.
The life span and work I invested earning money to be spent on my pastime deserves the best possible goods for me to acquire.

[russiantuba]

I sold a YFB 621S (very early serial) to Sam Pilafian.

I still feel to this day that horn was a much better horn and unique than the B&S horn that was larger that I felt that I needed. Dang, that was a good horn and didn’t realize it at the time.

[MiBrassFS]

.

[bloke]

I become emotionally attached to family, friends, and pets, not machinery.
Those contraptions are silent, unless I'm operating them.

"I can't believe that bloke is selling his..."
(Stop disbelieving, and buy it. )

I feel the same way about cars as I do about tubas. I buy 80 - 100 thousand mileage Toyota's, drive them for a few hundred thousand miles - until their door hinges no longer support the doors, and then suck it up and try to find another one.

[tubatodd]

I bought and sold 2 different Meinl Weston 2165 tubas. They each had that wonderful dark engulfing tone. But I'm 5'8" and my wife said it looked like the horn was swallowing me. I don't think they were well suited to me. I own a Besson 995 now and I feel like it is my "Goldilocks" tuba.

[the elephant]

I also sold a very unusual tuba that I loved, but that I could not afford to keep. It was my first frankentuba and what initially made me interested in doing this sort of work.

It was a Meinl-Weston 32 with a York monster Eb bell from about 1941 with a flare too wide to allow for removal of the 1st slide, so the entire valve section was massively altered with the 5th ending up where the 4th usually goes, and being a flat half-step drop. This allowed the flat whole-step drop 5th to be cut and turned into the new 1st valve. It was tragically clever and I loved it. But I had four Cc tubas at that time, and all used 5th valves of different lengths, and I suffer from dyslexia, so I got rid of all the horns that did not have the system I was used to, and that wonderful, weird tuba had to go. I never felt like it was better than me. I just regret selling it, and I regretted selling it at that time, thinking better of it, but needing the money and space in my life as well as a sightreading issue from my job. I would LOVE to get this tuba back so I could rebuild it and improve on the great design work by backing it up with better construction. The work was clever and pretty well done, but the linkage system was physically weak, and I wanted to change the interval of that 5th valve. It was a great tuba.

[Mary Ann]

I have a few instruments I consider beyond my ability to play as well as a whole bunch of others -- but I play them and enjoy them. So they stay. The most important one left without my permission, and if I were ever to hope someone rots in hell, it would be the person who took it.
The NStar stays, the Alex stays, the Cor Anglais and oboe stay, my horn stays as long as I can play it. The little lap harp, I still am interested in. The rest -- probably enough money would have them leaving, unless I get better at them and have a reason to think I can play them somewhere and do well. Meanwhile they are fun to mess with.

[MN_TimTuba]

Not a tuba, but headed that way with a guitar.
When my dad passed away almost 20 years ago I was gifted his early 60's Gibson ES335. This guitar is really beyond me and I know a mess of professionals past and present prefer these. I monkey around with her every now and then, but I'm no lead guitar player. I wish I were, but it's not going to happen.
Anyhow, some online research indicates this beauty has some value, and I'm tempted to exchange her for cash - tho' I really like the way the Gibson and my cherry Rivoli bass can bookend a band (like we did with Dad's band). But, the Gibson could fund my next tuba and more, or maybe put the funds toward a baby grand when we move.
I appreciate the terrific qualities of this guitar and I - and my siblings - have great emotional attachment to it because of Dad. It will be difficult to let her go, but there will be advantages, too.
Tim

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[arpthark]

Well... That was easy/fast

The horn has been sold. (to a member of this forum)

[bloke]

I guess sometimes things that we want for a long time end up not being things that - after having acquired them - we actually need.

I believe some people find that out about a spouse... or a house...or (yup) a car... or even a gig.

[TxTx]

If you remember the history, when I built the York tuba I announced that I was going to give myself a year to determine whether I needed an E flat tuba enough to make a purchase and own a horn that wasn't homemade. I played a recital got all excited about the possibilities of an E flat but the recital was a one-time deal and the Norwegian Star became available if I just traveled to Washington DC for the workshop. Which I did. If I had waited the full year like I had intended to, I might have come down from the recital High and realized that my York was actually a pretty good tuba and was certainly good enough for my limited needs.