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Sold, thanks!

Selling this Kalison DS five valve CC. Freshly chem cleaned.

For those who are unfamiliar with this model, the bell and bows are Italian and the valve machine is German (I believe Nirschl/Böhm & Meinl-made, but correct me if I’m wrong).

Comparable in size to a Miraphone 188, on the larger side of 4/4. The bore throughout all five valves is 19mm/.748”. This one features very good intonation. The valves are buttery smooth and the slide alignment is very good. The leadpipe and valve section are all removable which makes cleaning very easy. The fifth valve uses Minibal connectors.

Silver plating on these is thin and there are spots where it’s worn, with about 95% or more of the silver remaining. Cosmetically, there are a few lumps and bumps but I’m addressing the lion’s share of these. The bell has previously been rolled out. Mouthpiece receiver is on the larger side, but American shanks do fit.

This tuba comes with a Gard bag. Asking $4,000, would prefer no shipping but can meet within a few hours of Connecticut. I am also considering going to the Army Conference this year in DC and could potentially meet there.

PM or email beanhillbrass at iCloud.

Thanks!

New pics:

These were pretty popular in the mid-to-late 1990s. I bought one brand-new in 1998 and owned it for a year or two. They are well made instruments with fantastic valves and easy to play. I remember being so VERY proud when mine arrived at my parents house during spring break. GLWTS!

I'd estimate this one is about that old. The valve compression is still excellent. It's a lot of fun to play, with a lot of color in the sound. With the bell shape and everything, it's almost a German style tuba living in a piston valve body. It's very Miraphone-y (to me).

I used to think of the Kalison DS tubas as "European Yamahas", from the way they look and play. They sort of have their own voice though, and were still one of the prettiest tubas made, imo.

In the late 1990s (seems to be a theme for these tubas here) I attended a concert by the US Air Force Band at a local high school in my hometown. The tuba players were on Kalison DS tubas, and they sounded fantastic

I test-drove this instrument last night on a concert (the first time playing it in public). I was very impressed by it. It has a very clear, "present" sound and the response and flexibility across all ranges is very good.

I just need to get a piece of all-thread rod and stopper for the 1st valve slide and finish up a little bit of magnet work and dent rod work and it will be ready to roll.

I had one of the bigger non-DS Kalisons in college and loved it. I’m pretty sure every Kalison bell was made of aluminum foil, though. Don’t think I’ve ever seen one that didn’t have a date with a roller…usually multiple times. That and the thumb ring soldering was almost always inadequate. But that sound…

Yes, I’ve reattached the thumb ring mount. The bells are indeed thin. I also owned a Kalison 2000 6/4-ish CC… fun horn with intonation tendencies that were the opposite of what I was accustomed to for larger tubas.

I owned a DS for many years, I bought it from bloke. It was a nice horn that served me well for about 10 years or so. Very much like a 188 size with a better low register. Pitch was very workable. VERY nice valves!

New pics added to main post.

The rug is so trippy..

Anyone in the northeast USA who needs a < $5000 cc tuba, should really give this horn a look. It's Italian made with a fantastic valve set. It's certainly worth a toot.

How is the intonation?

What was the pain point with these? One of the Ab's...?

bort2.0 wrote: Sun Feb 15, 2026 12:16 pm How is the intonation?

What was the pain point with these? One of the Ab's...?

I think it was the top line Ab on some… I think that’s a bad note on many CC’s, not just these though.

Sweet! It sold.