B&S "Sonora" BBb 4 Rotary Valve Tuba

B&S "Sonora" BBb 4 Rotary Valve Tuba in overall fair playable condition.

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This tuba was made in the former East Germany by B&S. I would estimate the age of this tuba to be 50-55 years.  This is a very well regarded model with a classic German rotary tuba sound and very good intonation. It is still in production as the model 101.

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This is a 4/4 size tuba, comparable in size to a Miraphone 186 or Meinl Weston 20. It has a 16.5 inch bell, .750 in bore, and is approximately 43-44 inches tall.

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No case or mouthpiece is included. Takes a Standard/ American Shank mouthpiece.

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The valves and slides all work. Some of the valves are a little noisy and could probably use some professional attention, but I installed new valve bumpers and made sure the valves are aligned.

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The valves have excellent compression/pop, considering the age of the horn.  The valve action is smooth and quick.

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The second valve slide and 4th valve slide will rub against the body of the horn when you take them out to grease them, but they can be removed with firm steady pressure.

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The lead pipe has been raised a couple of inches and has a couple of patches. The thumb ring is fashioned out of a piece of brass rod and is not really a proper thumb ring, but it gets the job done.  This could be replaced by a repair technician.

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Cosmetically, well what you see is what you get. Lacquer finish is missing, discolored, burned in places, evidence of repairs, etc. Lots of scratches and dings, but nothing terrible.  If the lacquer finish on the body were to be stripped and then polished with Brasso, I think the appearance could be evened out quite a bit. I've done the same on other horns in similar condition.

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Thanks for looking and have a great day.