Sorry, I can't identify it, but it is interesting. It has an "old style" lead pipe, but appears to be in very good condition. Can you tell where it was manufactured? India perhaps?
Somewhat off topic: does anyone know about the transition from the long leadpipes to the modern shorter version? There must have been some advantage to the earlier form, but what might it have been? And conversely, what is the advantage of the modern form?
-Carroll
I have a theory. When you have a tuning slide, the length of tubing that accommodates the inner/outer tubes is cylindrical. Also, the leadpipe is critical to the sound and general performance of a euphonium. I think it's possible that a tuning slide as part of the leadpipe does more to mess up the tone & response than a tuning slide farther downstream.
But there is some logic to having it within the leadpipe. It is closer to the valve cluster, which is another area where the horn is non-conical. Then when the sound leaves the valve cluster it has an unimpeded conical bore the rest of the way to the bell.
The fact that all modern euphoniums have a tuning slide after the valves makes me think that there is a time-proven reason.
Dave Werden (ASCAP)
Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
Adams Artist (Adams E3)
Alliance Mouthpiece (DC3)
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Every euph/baritone I've played with leadpipe tuning had quirky intonation issues. Moreso than those with tuning after the valves.
DDG
If it's a vintage horn (late 19th/early 20th century), it's probably Czech. Sears sold Bohland and Fuchs euphs [edit: with a nut cutter] under the Tourville brand up until the 1920s, but the edge of the B&F/Tourville nut cutter was scrolled, not plain.
If it's not a vintage horn, the bulbous connecting rings, and the short tuning slide before the valve cluster point to Indian origin. (Early on, a handful of Chinese mfgs made euphs had tuning slides before the valve cluster, but I don't believe any of them had the nut cutter.)
Again, assuming it's not a vintage horn, one detail that may confirm the Indian provenance is that the tuning slide appears to be short, which may mean this horn is high pitch. A crook of a low pitch tuning slide typically extends a good 1.5-2" beyond the first valve slide when pushed all the way in. It looks like yours would be just about even. If it is high pitch, the most likely suspects are Stallone, Rida, Gloal, or Tristar. (Tourville were available in both low and high pitch)
Regardless of provenance, the mouthpiece is probably small shank (tenor trombone).
Last edited by megan; 11-17-2012 at 08:22 PM.
That's very interesting, thank you.