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Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2000 18:49:47 -0500
From: Topper <leo_g @ carroll.com>
Subject: Re: [CB] F mezzo- mouthpieceAt 08:56 AM -0700 6/5/00, Jay Easton wrote:
> Hi! I have an F-mezzo which also came with no mouthpiece-
>at the suggestion of Paul Cohen, I looked up the phone number in an
>online yellow pages for the JJ Babbitt company, and found that they make
>mouthpieces for F mezzo-soprano saxophone. You have to ask, though,
>as they are not shown in their catalogs. The price was moderate,
>and it plays well, with a sweet tone and good intonation. The F
>mezzo has such a unique and beautiful sound, it's really a pity they
>weren't a success! They're beautiful little horns. I just
>commissioned a piece for F mezzo and piano, due to be finished in
>November. To keep this on topic, I should mention that I also
>ordered one of Babbitt's bass sax mouthpieces, and it was the best of any
>modern mouthpiece I ever played on my old Buescher/Harwood
>bass. Good luck! Jay Easton (My bass sax, incidentally, is for
>sale- it has just had an excellent overhaul/remanufacture by Woodwind and
>Brasswind, and it's GORGEOUS! It comes with case, a stand, 3
>mouthpieces, and other stuff. It's not cheap, though. I have to pay off
>my new Selmer bass! I also have a nice spare bass sax stand. if anyone is
>interested, my email is whistler@aznet.net)I agree that they should have developed the F mezzo, not just because of
the sound but the hamonic possibilities related to switching parts to
modify compositions on the fly... at rehearsal.. It works when you can jump
a fifth on highlited passages. Just hand the desired Bb tenor over to the
mezzo player and you got it. Less pencil work. Any horn in F is great. They
should make an F piccolo Fluegel Horn as well. How about an F or G Contra
Alto Sax, the G being related to the C Melody and playing thirds or sixes
to both Eb and F; and the F as a bridge between C and Bb saxes...It used to me that knowing to use the C-Clef on any line/space was a must
with a sax player or/and composer.If enough people asked Yanigasawa to make a harmony sax they would probably
do it. The technolgy today is much better.But the scale is redicoulose win what some comanies ask for bigger horns.
I am friustrated in that selling almost everything I own is still weeks
away from what I need in the way of a giant horn.All My Best - Leo
Automatic Signature File: My Ebay Auctions are Noncommercial.
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/leo_g@carroll.com/
You may access my home page from above URL
Remove Guns From The Hands Of Criminals. Support NRA http://www.nra.org/"It's strange how America calls itself the "home of the free" when many
"Americans" try and dictate popular politically correct opinion and "their
own" views by using negative words seemingly prescribed by the media to
huddle a mass of opposition to your free speech and humour. It's like they
need to reaffirm their view by the acceptance of someone else agreeing
with them. People are afraid of what they do not like or see on the
television especially if it goes against the grain or is something they do
not fully understand. Email only amplifies it."
---------------------------------------------------------From: "Mats Öljare" <oljare @ hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 06 Jun 2000 01:02:24 GMT
Subject: Re: [CB] Conn-O-Sax>The one that comes to mind instantly is Gerald Oshita, who, before his untimely
>passing, was also a wonderfully explorative sarrusophone player. I have at least
>LP with him playing Conn-O-Sax.
>Regards,
>Steven LedermanIs it possible for you to make a sound sample for me to hear?I´ve become
very interested in odd horns like these.I might try to find a playable one
to restore,but i´m unsure about the availability mouthpieces,reeds
etc.Thanks.»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»
Mats Öljare
Eskilstuna,Sweden
http://www.angelfire.com/mo/oljare
________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com---------------------------------------------------------
From: FOLLASRW @ aol.com
Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2000 21:39:45 EDT
Subject: Re: [CB] Mouthpiece caseIn a message dated 6/5/00 6:41:19 PM, contrabass writes:
<< Eric Mumpower <nocturne @ arepa.com> wrote,
>I was wondering, has anyone ever seen for sale something along the lines of
>a small rigid case for a bass clarinet mouthpiece? I just bought a wooden
>mouthpiece and I don't want it to get scratched or chipped rattling around
>in my case. >>BG in France makes sturdy mouthpiece cases that are just what you are looking
for. We sell them at the store where I work, J.L. Smith & Co. in Charlotte,
NC. Give me a call at 1-800-822-2157 and I'll explain the different sizes
and styles.Ron Follas
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Tue, 06 Jun 2000 04:18:03 +0100
From: "Klaus Bjerre" <K-Bone @ vip.cybercity.dk>
Subject: Re: [CB] Conn-O-SaxCould someone please my curiosity?
I am totally ignorant of the nature of this instrument!
Klaus
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2000 23:21:33 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen @ contrabass.com>
Subject: Re: [CB] Conn-O-SaxAt 04:18 AM 6/6/00 +0100, you wrote:
>Could someone please my curiosity?
>
>I am totally ignorant of the nature of this instrument!I'm sure Paul Cohen could provide a more complete answer, but essentially
the Conn-O-Sax was an experiment by the C.G. Conn company. It was a
straight-bodied F mezzo-soprano sax (i.e., higher than alto, lower than
soprano), having a bulbous bell like a heckelphone (or english horn), range
extended down to low A, and keywork extended up to high G. They're pretty
much a collector's item these days...Grant
---------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 06 Jun 2000 10:44:22 +0100
From: "Klaus Bjerre" <K-Bone @ vip.cybercity.dk>
Subject: Re: [CB] Conn-O-SaxThank you very much for the information Grant!
I never saw this instrument even on illustrations.
The history of instrumt developments has a lot of dead end sidetracks. But
often there has been a basic idea behind these instruments, which did not
carry on.What was the intention behind the Conn-O-Sax? Was it only a marketing
gimmick?Klaus
----------
>From: Grant Green
> I'm sure Paul Cohen could provide a more complete answer, but essentially
> the Conn-O-Sax was an experiment by the C.G. Conn company. It was a
> straight-bodied F mezzo-soprano sax (i.e., higher than alto, lower than
> soprano), having a bulbous bell like a heckelphone (or english horn), range
> extended down to low A, and keywork extended up to high G. They're pretty
> much a collector's item these days...
---------------------------------------------------------From: Heliconman @ aol.com
Date: Tue, 6 Jun 2000 14:35:45 EDT
Subject: [CB] Subcontrabass tubasIn a message dated 06/06/2000 4:39:51 AM Eastern Daylight Time, mavnw @ csv.warwick.ac.uk writes:
> Subj: Re: BBb or F tubas (fwd)
> Date: 06/06/2000 4:39:51 AM Eastern Daylight Time
> From: mavnw @ csv.warwick.ac.uk (Dafydd y garreg wen)
> To: heliconman @ aol.com
>
> Don't know if you'll have seen this, but I thought you might be interested.
> This would seem to be the BBBb that I said was owned by a circus promoter
> in South Africa, then.
>
> Dave Taylor
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2000 08:01:04 +0100
> From: David Grosvenor <david @ recorder-music.demon.co.uk>
> Newsgroups: alt.music.tuba
> Subject: Re: BBb or F tubas
>
> I've played the enormous one (used to be in Paxman's shop in London on
> display). I think it was made especially for Sousa's band 100 years
> ago. It was pitched in B flat - an octave lower than the regular BB
> flat bass. Didn't speak particularly well, though. Really just a
> gimmick. Didn't play as low as a regular tuba. Of course,
> *theoretically* it would be an octave lower, but the low notes just
> wouldn't speak. I understand it was bought by Ron Schneider (tuba
> player with Johnny Dankworth) and taken to South Africa. But that was
> probably nearly 40 years ago. No idea where it is now.Do we know what manufacturer made this beast? Sousa had tubas made by J.W.
Pepper and C.G. Conn and preferred Conn's over Pepper's. But there was
another subcontrabass tuba played by Gerard Hoffnung in his Hoffnung
Festivals in England in the 60s that was unlike the Carl Fischer, NY/Besson
BBBb in the Harvard University band room which I've played. (There is another
one of these at Carl Fischer's on Bleecker Street in New York City as of last
year) I've heard talk about a BBBb tuba in the posession of a South African
circus promoter. I think the source was the Guinness Book of World Records,
but don't quote me. I think that's in the archives of <Contrabass.com>. Is
this Johnny Dankworth the guy whose band was backing up Cleo Laine a few
years ago. Maybe we can track down Mr. D. through Cleo's record label. There
was also a reference in a book on brass instruments to a BBBb tuba being
played in Gilmore's (N.Y.C.?) Band. Can't think of the author but on request
I could find the book again at my local library.
As to the Besson/Fischer BBBb tuba at Harvard, I have several pictures of it
which I could send you on request, some of which may be in the photo archives
of <Contrabass.com>. Similar to the tuba at Paxman, it was very difficult to
get the instrument to sound in the low register. I felt like I needed to
double or triple my lung capacity. Plus, the original mouthpiece has been
stolen, so I was using a Schilke 62 with a Conn helicon as an adapter with a
couple of layers of plastic tape to tighten the fit. I'm sure a better
mouthpiece would help improve the sound. Perhaps I'll call Fischer's in NYC
today and get a dew more details about the instrument's history and
mouthpiece.
Please feel free to email me at <Heliconman @ aol.com> and re-post this
anywhere there may be interest.
Very interested in any info, pictures and sounds of these beasties!
Cheers!
Heliconman @ aol.com
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Tue, 6 Jun 2000 12:22:14 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen @ contrabass.com>
Subject: Re: [CB] Conn-O-Sax>What was the intention behind the Conn-O-Sax? Was it only a marketing
>gimmick?
>
>KlausThe page http://www.usd.edu/~mbanks/CONN11.html has a reproduction of
an old ad for the Conn-O-Sax: it was pitched mostly for novelty
value, and as an English Horn substitute. According to the page, the
Great Depression killed the market for most instruments, and novelty
horns were the first to go.Dr. Rick has a display of unusual saxes that includes pictures of a
Bb bass and a Conn-O-Sax at http://drrick.com/display.html.Enjoy!
Grant
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant Green gdgreen @ contrabass.com
ecode:contrabass http://www.contrabass.com
Professional Fool -> http://www.mp3.com/ProFools
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Tue, 6 Jun 2000 12:25:37 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen @ contrabass.com>
Subject: Re: [CB] Subcontrabass tubas
>so I was using a Schilke 62 with a Conn helicon as an adapter with a
>couple of layers of plastic tape to tighten the fit. I'm sure a betterYou *know* you're a contrabass maniac when you're playing a horn that
requires a *helicon* as the adapter between your mouthpiece and the
leadpipe (and it is still loose!) ... ;-)Grant
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant Green gdgreen @ contrabass.com
ecode:contrabass http://www.contrabass.com
Professional Fool -> http://www.mp3.com/ProFools
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Tue, 6 Jun 2000 16:19:16 -0400 (EDT)
From: Eric Mumpower <nocturne @ arepa.com>
Subject: Re: [CB] Subcontrabass tubas> >so I was using a Schilke 62 with a Conn helicon as an adapter with a
> >couple of layers of plastic tape to tighten the fit. I'm sure a better
>
> You *know* you're a contrabass maniac when you're playing a horn that
> requires a *helicon* as the adapter between your mouthpiece and the
> leadpipe (and it is still loose!) ... ;-)I'm fairly ignorant of obscure brass instrument; what's a helicon? It's not
in your Compendium, but a quick web search suggests that it was a precursor
to the Sousaphone... am I on track?
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Tue, 6 Jun 2000 13:56:54 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen @ contrabass.com>
Subject: Re: [CB] Subcontrabass tubas
>I'm fairly ignorant of obscure brass instrument; what's a helicon? It's not
>in your Compendium, but a quick web search suggests that it was a precursor
>to the Sousaphone... am I on track?Yep. If you imagine a sousaphone without the elbow right before the
bell, that is pretty much what the helicon looks like. The bell
points off at a tangent from the main body loop, instead of being
twisted around to point forward over the player's head (as on the
sousaphone).They're not *that* obscure: you can still buy them new from Cerveny,
via the Woodwind & Brasswind. See
http://63.71.150.35/wwandbw/pdf/brasswind/b2000_44.pdf for the
catalog page (with a picture) - 4 rotors, BBb, $3795. Of course,
shipping will probably be significant....Enjoy!
Grant
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant Green gdgreen @ contrabass.com
ecode:contrabass http://www.contrabass.com
Professional Fool -> http://www.mp3.com/ProFools
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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