Josef Lidl LFB 651-5L GR F Tuba – $6,000.00
Josef Lidl LFB 651-5L GR F Tuba – ser. #150355, graduated .717″/.756″ valve bore, 15.75″ bell with nickel silver bell rim, 36.5″ tall, 16 lbs, lacquered, yellow brass bell and body, rose brass mouthpipe, left hand operated 5th valve and 2nd valve slide trigger.
If you are looking for a fine traditional F-tuba that plays very well in all registers, including the low C and vicinity, and doesn’t cost a fortune, this is the instrument. The valves and slides are exquisite, and the rose brass leadpipe lends a sweetness to the response, while the yellow brass body provides great projection in the hall. The nickel-silver bell rim helps stabilize the sound, resulting in a 4/4 F that will play at higher volumes without breaking up. The valves have solid nickel-silver casings and very fine rotors, miniball metal ball & socket linkage, and very comfortable levers, making this one of the most comfortable and best-playing F-tubas I have encountered. The left-hand – operated 2nd slide trigger eliminates the need for a 6th valve and allows for on-the-fly adjustments. There is a small cosmetic imprefection involving the bell rim, and it has been play-tested, so I am offering this tuba as a demo model at a discounted price. With Soundline gig bag, mouthpiece and lubricants. . . . . . . $6,000.00
Stofer 4/4 Custom CC Tuba
Stofer 4/4 Custom CC tuba – .687″ valve bore, 19 3/16″ bell diameter, 31 1/2″ tall, bright silver plated or lacquered, either traditional vented, or MAW vented pistons, convertible to BBb, with case. After 20+ years of dreaming, apprenticing, praying, working and hoping, here it is, a professional 5-valve CC tuba built in my shop by the Grace of God. Based on the Getzen tubas built between 1993 and 2001, I have sought to correct all the details of that model, incorporate improvements such as the MAW pistons and the new MAW Open-Flow rotor, and have spent an enormous amount of time performing the most thorough and careful soldering job possible in assembling this instrument. Particular attention to optimizing the leadpipe taper and bracing takes this instrument to a level not found in most instruments, making it really play like a York tuba. To keep with the old-school quality construction, after buffing and hand-ragging, I have Anderson Silver Plating of Elkhart, Indiana plate the tubas with a copper flashing and then silver plating inside-and-out. Take a look inside the instrument, and you will see silver. This is the most effective way to prevent red rot, and an instrument that stays cleaner than instruments that are raw brass inside.
I find the instrument to be profoundly responsive and easy-to-play, remarkably consistent in response and intonation throughout the entire instrument, with very light and quick valves, and a York-like tone quality that I would describe as a dark core of sound surrounded by a clear edge. The tuba has reference rings cut into the upper valve slides, so that the slides can be pulled to BBb length. When the stop arm linkage is moved to the other side of the stop arm, the instrument becomes a fully-functional BBb tuba where actuating the thumb rotor gives you a great pedal C, and thumb-2 is a clean B-natural, making this both a fully-chromatic CC or BBb tuba. This is accomplished merely by pulling the upper slides, removing one screw and reinstalling the screw, which can literally be accomplished in less than one minute. In the 40+ years that I have been playing tuba, this is the most flexible and agile tuba I’ve ever played. If this is the sort of 4/4 CC that you’ve been seeking, feel free to call or e-mail and discuss making this instrument yours. With mouthpiece, Cronkhite gig bag, and MTS hard case………………………………………………………$17,500.00
Stofer #1 through #9 have sold, and #10 and #11 are now in process.
When building the #6 Stofer CC tuba I made slight changes to the bracing around the main tuning slide and lower 4th valve circuit, resulting in a very lively sound, full of overtones, with consistent response and hassle-free intonation. These changes are now incorporated into all Stofer tubas.
The Stofer CC comes in an MTS case, and I also provide a Cronkhite bag and Stofer-Geib Mouthpiece for it, all offered as a complete package for $17,500.00. A trial period of up to two weeks is standard, and motor freight shipping is included at no extra charge.
Please feel free to call Lee to discuss the Stofer CC tuba!