above: Conn-Selmer's booth at the 2011 Midwest Clinic
(NOTE: click the images for a larger view)
This year I had the great pleasure of tending to my company's booth at the 2011 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic. While there I had the opportunity to take a few photos and try some Tubas. Above you can see one angle of Conn-Selmer's booth. Up front is the King 2341 4 valve BBb Tuba. The colorful items on stands behind it are the new plastic Trombone, the "P-Bone."
above: Conn 20K behind a King Contra
above: Gemeinhardt's Tubas (BBb, Eb, F and CC)
above: Gemeinhardt's Tubas from a different angle
above: Gemeinhardt student BBb Tuba
above: Gemeinhardt's Eb Tuba
above: Gemeinhardt's F Tuba
above: Gemeinhardt CC Tuba
above: Willson Tubas
above: a closer view of Willson Tubas
above: Yamaha's Sousaphone stand. Made by Randall May.
above: Meinl Weston's booth
above: a different angle of Meinl Weston's booth. The slightly tarnished Tuba on the far left is David Fedderly's personal hand built Baer CC. It's a GREAT player.
above: Tubas from Adams
above: Yamaha's YSH-411 Sousaphone on the Randall May stand.
above: Besson's beautiful model 995 Sovereign CC Tuba
I will post a few more photos later. Some technical issues prevent me from uploading any more at the moment.
Oooh, that sousa stand looks nice - I saw some pictures a year or two ago, but never with a sousaphone... Did you test it out for sturdiness? Will it fit a JUMBO? Does Wichita carry them? I might be interested...
ReplyDeleteAlso is the Gemeinhardt BBb smaller that the CC? It looks that way, the branches look smaller. It looks like they took the F, Eb, and BBb and used the same body for them all. The CC is the only one that looks different of the bunch.
Ian -
ReplyDeleteI think you are right about the bodies on the BBb, F and EEb. It certainly would make sense from a manufacturing perspective to do it that way. The BBb is smaller because it is a student model designed for comfort for all players.
If I recall correctly, the tooling for the CC Gemeinhardt Tuba is a copy of Walter Nirschl's 4/4 CC Tuba made for them by Walter. It is a really easy playing horn. Richard Barth is doing nice work.
"Someone" at the Midwest Clinic told me that Richard Barth at Gemeinhardt is working on a Holton/York 6/4 copy. Keep your eye out for that...
I actually know the manufacturer of that Sousaphone stand and plan to write about those stands and another product that these folks carry called "air lift" stands. They are made by a company called Randall May and I think I can get them. The Sousaphone stand might be able to hold a jumbo. They are quite sturdy (in my opinion).
Kevin
Another copy? Is it going to be another 4+1 CC? I think we need a 6/4 BBb more, or maybe a 7/4 BBb..
ReplyDeleteI think there are plenty of copies out there now and enough 'cuts' too. We need a new design, why can't they copy some old King designs? Like the 1280 or the monster rotary string action? Just something different than another 4+1 6/4 CC York-style tuba.... bleah!