What Is This Instrument?

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DJC0189
Posts: 16
Joined: Apr 14, 2021

by DJC0189 »

Came across this instrument with no manufacturer label or other identifying info on it whatsoever; I (and the guy I acquired it from) have been referring to it as a "tenor bugle" in the meantime. 8-inch bell, Db tuning. Anyone know where I could get more info on this horn?

I've attached 3 photos of the instrument in question, as well as a link to a Google Drive folder with a few videos of me tooting on it (all too big to post here). Let me know if y'all have any ideas!

-Dan

<LINK_TEXT text="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1H_LxtumKgYorQn1FerDRYDZ84PqtgTdr?usp=sharing</LINK_TEXT>

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mcphatty00
Posts: 120
Joined: Apr 25, 2022

by mcphatty00 »

It looks like a straight euphonium but too small
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robcat2075
Posts: 1867
Joined: Sep 03, 2018

by robcat2075 »

There was a time when "drum and bugle corps" used actual un-valved instruments.

Perhaps that horn is part of that?

I've read that all began to change after someone monkeyed with a bugle tuning slide enough to get a couple of half steps and played step-wise melodies at competitions.
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harrisonreed
Posts: 6479
Joined: Aug 17, 2018

by harrisonreed »

It's not a trombone, that much is certain. You have diverged from the path.
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rdalton
Posts: 16
Joined: Oct 23, 2020

by rdalton »

That's odd. There was an old horn that looked like that in an antique shop in south Jersey for years. It was listed as "Tuba - $120". No longer there. I always thought that someone "repaired" it without putting the valves back.
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Finetales
Posts: 1482
Joined: Mar 23, 2018

by Finetales »

It's certainly not an old drum corps bugle, as the bell still points up. The only thing I could possibly think of if it was made this way from the factory is a lower voice to play with those little Spanish one-rotor bugles in Db/C.

I think it's much more likely that it's just a modified baritone horn. Someone chopped off the valve section/main tuning slide/original leadpipe to use on a project and threw on some tubing they had lying around to be the new straight leadpipe.
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Leanit
Posts: 160
Joined: Sep 04, 2018

by Leanit »

Looks like a crappy baritone horn that somebody sectioned the valves out of and pieced it back together with those crooked sprinkler joints.

Options: Lamp, spittoon, urinal..
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Doug_Elliott
Posts: 4155
Joined: Mar 22, 2018

by Doug_Elliott »

A clue would be what key it's in. Could be modified from either a bell up baritone or a bell front bugle. The leadpipe looks out of place for the rest of it.
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BGuttman
Posts: 7368
Joined: Mar 22, 2018

by BGuttman »

I vote for the bugle. The fact that it appears to be in Db indicates that a lot of wrap was removed from either something in Bb or G (below that). I agree that the leadpipe is rather odd shaped.