Posted by Klaus on August 27, 2002 at 14:05:06:
In Reply to: Any Idea posted by Ed on August 27, 2002 at 10:07:52:
Without detracting anything from RD's posting:
The Iberian countries have traditions for very large concert bands. I have seen a photo of a 130+ member group including 8 celli and 4 or more string basses. This might be common in the US also, but it is just about twice the largest bands in my country.
My point would be, that the Iberian market is large enough to have, or have had, its own stencil imports. So your reading of the name might very well have been true.
A tubist of some standing, name sadly forgotten, did some courses and master-classes in Spain well over a decade ago. And found that Spain then had a large pool of pre-WWII German high class tubas found nowhere else.
With the huge tradition of bands in Southern Europe, it is a bit surprising, that there apparently has not been much tuba production there. The only names of makers I, more or less, remember, are the maker of Chuck Guzis former 0.900 bore CC/BBb (later letting its brass making staff and tools go to Kalison), Kalison, and Orsi. Following an Italian auction site mostly lets me see low brasses by Yamaha and Amati.
There must have been some Spanish brass makers, but I never heard of any until the upcoming of Stomvi. And they do not make anything larger than a flugelhorn.
Klaus