Hirsbrunner Tuba Serial Numbers

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  1. List of Besson tuba serial numbers? The bulk of the musical talk. 3 posts. Page 1 of 1. Scottw 5 valves Posts: 1519 Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2004 2:39 pm Location.
  2. Note: From 1987 to present, add 50 to the serial number prefix to calculate the year of manufacture.1980 - 1986 serial numbers are for student trumpet and cornets only. Other cup mouthpiece serial numbers are not available at this time. Note: From 1974 to Present - The prefix number plus 50 will give you the date manufactured.

A used York 4V non-compensating Eb tuba with an aftermarket Willson 4th valve. Has a small shank receiver and slides that were cut from low to modern pitch. Serial number dates it 1915. Used w/Altieri bag. $2,295.00 Picture: In Stock 5V Eb Lacquer Eb Used. The resulting number then would represent the year after 1984 that the instrument was manufactured. For example, if the serial number began with a number '4' you would then add '1' to this number and know that the instrument was manufactured in 1985. If the first number was a '0', would indicate that the instrument was manufactured in 1991.

Item Details

These are compensating euphoniums hand made by Willson in Switzerland. These are considered some of the premier euphoniums in the world, alongside Hirsbrunner and Adams. Several models and options are available, as shown in the drop down menu above. Read on for specs, descriptions, and options.

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Willson Model 2900

The 2900 is the most popular of all Willson euphoniums. The slightly smaller bell diameter allows some extra ease of travel and case choices, and lets more of the high frequencies of your tone ring out into the room, adding clarity and crispness of tone. The mouthpiece receiver size is fairly rare for a modern instrument. It's not small shank trombone, it's not large shank trombone. It's right in the middle. We call it the Besson/Willson/Euro size. Stock mouthpieces are available from Denis Wick, Schilke and Faxx. Other sizes may be ordered from Josef Klier and other makers. You will face limited size choices whenever you seek such a mouthpiece. Why is this instrument the most popular of the Willsons? Somehow this receiver size resulted in a perfect fit, the best pitch, and an easy response. One of our former staff plays a Willson 2900 and wouldn't change instruments for anything.

2900 Specifications

  • Pitch: Bb
  • Valves: 4 valves, compensating
  • Bore: 15.0 / 16.8mm (0.590' / 0.661')
  • Bell: Seamless yellow brass 3150, 290mm / 11.41'
  • Weight: 4.5kg / 9.9 lbs
  • Stainless steel pistons are non-corrosive
  • Rubber silencers and nylon valve guides for noise-free action
  • 4 stainless steel valves with valve springs underneath
  • Innovative water key rubber to reduce interruption of air flow
  • 3 water keys
  • Convenient hand rest
  • Water catcher
  • Medium size traditional European mouthpiece receiver
Tuba

Willson Model 2950

The larger bell diameter of this model reflects more of the highs of your tone back into the horn, so it should lean towards a slightly darker and broader sound. Luxor mac os. In addition, the large shank receiver allows many more options for mouthpiece sizes without resorting to a custom mouthpiece.

2950 Specifications

The 2950 is identical to the 2900 except for:

  • Bell diameter: 310mm / 12.20'
  • Large shank bass trombone mouthpiece receiver as standard

Available Options on 2900 and 2950 Euphoniums

  • S - Silver plate finish
Silver plate is by far the most popular finish for Willson. Lacquer is also available. Benefits of silver plate include more clarity of response, and style of course, but regular hand polishing is required. Benefits of lacquer include a slightly warmer tone, and no maintenance other than a basic wiping of the instrument. We use lemon furniture polish spray to help protect lacquer finishes. These polishes neutralize oils and acids from your skin, and add a coat of wax for protection of the finish.
  • T - Main slide tuning trigger
Many players in our area like a main tuning slide trigger on their euphonium or tuba. This allows you to tune any note, no matter the fingering combination. While we trust these Swiss instruments to be very well in tune, every horn may have certain minor pitch issues here and there. The open F can be a bit high, the open D can be a bit low, that sort of thing. Most players can bend any note right into pitch, but if you prefer to use a small hand movement and let your embouchure relax a bit, a trigger might be for you. Euphonium extraordinaire Demondrae Thurman, who endorses the Miraphone M5050 euphonium, has a tuning trigger on his own instrument, but he admits that the horn plays so well in tune, that any trigger is just for vanity anyway.
  • C - Willson hard case
  • BT - bass trombone shank mouthpiece receiver

The 2900 can also be had with a bass trombone shank receiver as desired. This is the version we usually order. It allows many more choices of mouthpieces. The 2950 includes bass trombone receiver as standard.

The first of these two tubas is a bit unattractive and the other is downright ugly but the story here is not in the rough lives that they led, but what they are. Tubas pitched in BBb (an octave below euphoniums and tenor/bass trombones) were not used much until very late in the 19th century. Examples were known to have been made by the 1860s and occasionally used in orchestras, but they weren't seen much in bands until the 1890s. As a result, the demand for instruments was extremely small until that time. These historical facts make these two tubas especially interesting.

Hirsbrunner Tuba Serial Numbers Lookup

Perhaps I should clarify terminology here as well. Depending on the time period and geographical region, you will see a variety of names for what we call 'tuba'. Probably the earliest in BBb was made by Adolphe Sax and called 'subcontrabass Saxhorn' although this instrument seems only a novelty at that time. The later French term is 'contrabass en sib”. As you see in the 1887 Boston catalog page above, Americans called it 'Double Bb Bass'. The modern tuba really seems to have gotten going when Cerveny introduces their 'Kaisertuba' around 1875. Other terms used are variations of the Italian 'bombardino' and 'flicorno contrabasso' and more names that seem less commonly used.
The tuba shown in the first three photos was made by Boston Musical Instrument Manufactory. While Boston was known to have made instruments intended for the symphony orchestra, the vast majority were for use in bands or social orchestras. The earliest Boston catalog that I know of, showing BBb tubas for sale was published in 1887, although this instrument predates that by several years. The year of manufacture of this tuba can be narrowed down somewhat by the fact that it has no serial number. Boston started engraving serial numbers on all of their instruments starting in about 1880 or 1881, making me confident that this tuba was made about that time and is the earliest BBb tuba made in the US that I know of. (As always, I'd like to hear from you if you have any additional information.)

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Hirsbrunner Tuba Serial Numbers List

C.G. Conn lists a “BBb Bass” in his 1881 catalog, but the illustration is not of that instrument. I would assume that this was the first announcement that it was becoming available. Boston was the older company, but Conn was growing and adding models at a very rapid pace in these years. I don’t know of an extant BBb tuba by Conn from this year, but we can’t know for sure which made one first.

In spite of its rough condition and a fairly small bore through the valves (about .660'), this is an especially nice playing instrument. When Boston introduced their BBb tuba, they used the same valves (with longer tubes, of course) that they had been using on Eb tubas for many years and a well designed body that was quite large for its day. The bell rim diameter is 15 5/8'.
The second tuba illustrated here is not in playable condition, but I can tell by tubing length that it is pitched in BBb. I'm assuming that it was a relatively inexpensive instrument and is not as impressive the Boston. The bore through the valves is .633' and the corpus is a bit smaller than the Boston; the bell rim measures 12 1/2'. It is not signed, but is very much like other brass instruments imported to the US from eastern Europe in the second half of the 19th century. The valves are 'Berliner' piston valves that were used on the least expensive of these imports. Berliner valves were last seen in catalogs of US retailers and importers in the late 1880s, making this another very early example of this size tuba and must have been among the earliest used in an American brass band.

Hirsbrunner Tuba Serial Numbers 222

In addition to these documents in brass, Mark Jones, tubist in Buffalo, NY area, has found an 1879 issue of 'The Musical Progress' in which Mose Slater advertises 'Double Bb Bass' available for $80. This was almost half the price of the Boston tuba. Mark believes that these instruments were made in New York and he may well be right, but I differ and believe that they were imported from Germany, like so many other inexpensive instruments in that era. There must be additional data to be found and we will likely learn more when they are. Regardless, this is the earliest document showing a BBb tuba available for sale in the US.

Hirsbrunner Tuba Serial Numbers Chart

Interestingly, there were CC tubas (one whole step higher than BBb) available in the US at least 23 years before this. In the collection of the Rhode Island Historical Society is a contrabass in CC with six valves made by Thomas Paine in about 1853. In a list of instruments for sale by Harvey Dodworth in 1856 is offered CC Contrabass with either 3 or 4 valves for $160 and $190. The relatively high price makes me think that it might have been made in Boston as well.