This is a Conn "Orchestra Grand Bass" made in 1921. In our band it is nicknamed "The Beast" due to its immense size and power! It is a 4-valve silver plated upright BBb bass, 6/4 size with an exceptionally large bore. Front action valves with a 22" bell.
The serial number is 183848, believed to have been made in 1921 by the famous C.G. Conn company of Elkhart, Indiana, USA. Conn's designation for this instrument is "Orchestra Grand Bass". This horn is in excellent condition for its age, with just one modest dent on bottom bow (see pictures here) and the usual small dings here and there through normal use. The finish is silver plate. The inside of the bell has a mellow gold wash which looks great when "bell forwarding" at the end of a gig with a monster pedal :-)
There are four front-action piston valves in great condition. All slides pull smoothly. The bore is unusually large at 0.810" (eight-ten), measured at inside of second valve slide. The bell diameter is a large 22" (twenty two inches). The horn is 40" long, 12" thick at the first valve including the valve stem and button, and 18" wide at the first valve. It weighs 27 lb (twenty seven pounds) or just under 13kg , which is on the light side for a big-bore 6/4 4-valve Conn (only marginally heaver that a Besson 994 which is 26.5lb).
It comes with an Alteri gig bag (made in Denver, Colorado, USA). Yes, believe it or not despite the size of this beast it can be carried in the gig back on your back, see pics here. (Conn's original literature of the period does not list a case for this model, although the Conn factory did offer to manufacture cases on a custom basis.)
I have owned this bass since 2004. According to an earlier owner Paul Ogushwitz it was serviced in 2003 by Mr. Harvey Hartman (Harv's Happy Horns) who removed some of the minor dings and also replaced the water valve corks, put new felts on the valves, aligned the valves, and cleaned the horn internally and externally. In addition two of the valves were restored by Nate Griffith, N.P.Griffith Company, Omaha, NE, and all four valves were then plated and fitted to honed valve casings.
This instrument is in BBb. It is very free-blowing and requires remarkably little wind, considering the large bore. It plays pianissimo with very little effort. Fortissimo is full and throaty, with a lovely dark sonorous sound. I've played it with the Wantage Silver Band at a few gigs, it's superb for the outside jobs and large hall orchestral gigs where it can offer up a huge sound. Given the age of the instrument and as with many large bore instruments, intonation needs some skill when playing with other tubas in a section, but this is helped by the provision of upper tuning slides (in addition the more conventional lower slides) which can be tweaked whilst playing using the left hand. It has both strap loops and lyre attachment and so it can even be used for marching (I have done it once) although given the large size you have to be well built to try it!
The former owner was also told by Martin Wilk that the 0.810" bore is considerably bigger than Conn's usual bore sizes (maximum was apparently 0.773"). Martin conjectured that this may have been a prototype horn or a made-to-order horn for one of the hotshot players of the day. If so, it may be one of a kind. Also, the former owner's tuba teacher Don Butterfield examined and played this instrument on December 11, 2003 and then prepared the following testimonial: "This afternoon I have spent several hours checking over a four valve Conn BBb Tuba belonging to Mr. Paul Ogushwitz. The instrument was built in 1921 at the C.G. Conn factory, Serial Number 183848. It is in excellent physical and mechanical shape. For its size it is an especially 'free-blowing' horn, through all registers and all notes seem to 'center' very well. The 'core' of the sound is very clear. It is also extraordinarily in tune with itself. Its basic construction is of the highest quality --- in fact a quality we do not always find in instruments manufactured today. It has one of the most resonant low end responses I have heard, over the years of having played a great many different tubas. I would highly recommend this instrument to any serious tuba player." (The signed original of this letter comes with the bass, see photo here.)
I'm selling the tuba because I am no longer playing regularly and am also unfortunately out of work currently and so cannot justify having such a lovely and valuable asset just sat there in the corner of the room gathering dust.
The tuba is currently located in Leicestershire, Great Britain. If you're UK based then you're welcome to come for a trial blow or I can travel within the East Midlands area to meet you. If you're abroad then shipping is likely to be very expensive given the substantial packaging required to ensure it would arrive safely. Unfortunately this means that couriers charge based on volumetric weight (98kg based on a 120 x 70 x 70 cm crate) rather than actual weight (around 25kg with crate). My estimate is around 400 UKP (650 USD) for 3 day air shipping to the USA. I will of course provide a precise quote at the offer stage.
I am fairly flexible on payment methods. Cash on collection or direct bank transfer would probably be easiest, but I will consider any form of payment (cheque, PayPal etc.) subject to fees negotiation and clearance etc. I am of course happy to use an escrow service if you wish.
Click here to see lots of pictures of the tuba!
There's also a picture (from the previous owner) of this same instrument on the famous Conn Loyalist website here, where you can also read lots more about this history of Conn.
I paid 2600 UKP (5000 USD at the time) for the instrument in 2004. It has been very well cared for by me since then. Given the rarity (especially over here in the UK) of tubas of this provenance I am open to sensible offers close to the price I paid.
Please feel free to contact me by email should you have any questions and I will be pleased to respond. If you wish to chat by phone let me know your phone number and when it would be convenient to call (I am UK time, currently GMT/UMT+1). Email me at
Tim Hayton