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Hello everyone. While looking for a used Kaiser tuba, I found a tuba that Richard made a long time ago.
I tried to search to check the history of this tuba, but I failed to find it.
Its appearance is strikingly similar to Melton's 197.
If anyone knows the company that made this tuba and the history of this instrument, please provide information.

I have never heard of Richard and this model is unfamiliar to me. (Big help, I know.)

To me (??) this looks like an odd mishmash of an Alexander and a Rudolf Meinl or even perhaps a Roland Meinl tuba.

Richard who?

Wagner? Nixon? Barth? King, III?

the elephant wrote: Fri Dec 05, 2025 12:25 pm Richard who?

The name engraved on the tuba's body is called richard. Have you ever seen it?

arpthark wrote: Fri Dec 05, 2025 1:46 pm Wagner? Nixon? Barth? King, III?

There is no information.

reins264 wrote: Fri Dec 05, 2025 3:03 pm

the elephant wrote: Fri Dec 05, 2025 12:25 pm Richard who?

The name engraved on the tuba's body is called richard. Have you ever seen it?

Are there any serial numbers, date stamps, small brand-name labels, anything anywhere else on the horn besides the large “Richard”?

Google image search pulls up a few pages in Japanese... with dead links. I haven't been motivated enough yet to do more than that.

Surely it's a stencil of something, but I get a smile out of thinking that perhaps some old Herr Richard (ree-kard) put his own name on the bell of his tuba.

reins264 wrote: Fri Dec 05, 2025 3:03 pm

the elephant wrote: Fri Dec 05, 2025 12:25 pm Richard who?

The name engraved on the tuba's body is called richard. Have you ever seen it?

No, and I was kidding around with you with the "Richard who?" bit…

We had an E9 running around with a first name of Richard. He wore size 8's in shoes, so he was a Little Richard.

Could be a Czech or former GDR instrument labeled by the importer. I think close up pictures of the valves and linkages and a picture of the back side tubing would be helpful to identify a possible workshop. If it is Amati / Cerveny / Weltklang derived, there are sure some experts here who can help you.

Maybe @TheBerlinerTuba can help with identifying this kaiser

the elephant wrote: Fri Dec 05, 2025 11:52 pm

reins264 wrote: Fri Dec 05, 2025 3:03 pm

the elephant wrote: Fri Dec 05, 2025 12:25 pm Richard who?

The name engraved on the tuba's body is called richard. Have you ever seen it?

No, and I was kidding around with you with the "Richard who?" bit…

Oh! I'm so sorry!

Thomas wrote: Sat Dec 06, 2025 1:47 am Could be a Czech or former GDR instrument labeled by the importer. I think close up pictures of the valves and linkages and a picture of the back side tubing would be helpful to identify a possible workshop. If it is Amati / Cerveny / Weltklang derived, there are sure some experts here who can help you.

Here are enlarged photos of the back of the tuba and the valve. To what extent will this help in verifying information?

Looks B&F/ Amati to me...

https://www.musiktreff.info/instrumente ... rtuba.html

Oedipoes wrote: Sat Dec 06, 2025 4:49 am Looks B&F/ Amati to me...

https://www.musiktreff.info/instrumente ... rtuba.html

The latest kaiser tuba from Cerveny looks a lot like it: V.F. Červený CBB 697-4

I'd rather think it's from a smaller independent GDR/Czech workshop or a home builder in the surroundings of Amati, Czerveny & Co.. The 3rd valve tubing as seen from the front looks uncommon for an industrial instrument. The known standard series do have straight downwards tubing there.