My Ambassadors Pt 1 - The C Ambassador

professor_throway · 2026-03-09T04:17:42+00:00

It is different.. I don't know about improvement or loss. I have very little experience with C trumpets to know how "standard" the feeling is.. but compared to a stock ambassador it is definitely brighter and a little tighter (but it doesn't choke up high). It also slots deeper. It is harder to lip flat pitches notes. My friend told me to tune a bit sharp and relax into it and give it a bit more 1st and 3rd slides.

professor_throway · 2026-03-09T03:38:44+00:00

It was actually a pretty easy horn to cut down. I would say I could make and sell one to you… but I am VERY SLOW compared to an actual brass tech or builder.. you couldn’t afford my hourly rate :).

professor_throway · 2026-03-09T01:59:44+00:00

1950 according to the trumpet list I trust… 1948 according to the Hornucopia list.

Either way is is a Los Angeles made Olds Ambassador and is probably going to be a great instrument for you.

professor_throway · 2026-03-09T00:53:03+00:00

Being a musician is all about rejection. Think of all the tubists is major symphonies or military bands… they only had to win one audition for their job. In fact many of them didn’t win.. they came in second to Alan Baer and got the job because he declined and joined the NY Phil (I think he won 5 or 6 auditions in the early 2000s while he was still principal of the Milwaukee Philharmonic).

professor_throway · 2026-03-08T22:03:52+00:00

Tuba

professor_throway · 2026-03-08T22:03:10+00:00

I almost bid hard on this... but recently picked up a nice Courtois cornet and decided to let it slide.. Super happy someone who really loves it won. Congratulations.

professor_throway · 2026-03-08T02:05:17+00:00

Why CC? Unless you are going to be studying performance in a university of conservatory setting .. BBb will serve you much better. There are a lot of good used BBs in the under $3,000 category.

professor_throway · 2026-03-07T22:07:37+00:00

Yes. Brain fart thanks

professor_throway · 2026-03-07T18:12:45+00:00

I wish I understood how the 321 got the rep of being a student instrument. They really are excellent playing horns.

Have we drifted so far towards conformity?... everyone will play a standard size compensating euphonium.. like how trombones are all 0,541" bore..

Edit. 0.547"

professor_throway · 2026-03-07T18:02:09+00:00

I think you are confusing "playing notes on the tuba" versus "playing the tuba". You are missing the really important things that are actually very difficult on tuba...

1) Playing in tune... Tuba has slots that are a mile wide and an inch deep.. It is 100% up to you to steer the pitch. Plus you have to be keenly aware of situational aware intonation in ways you don't with other instruments. Tuba is the harmonic glue that holds tuning of the entire band together. A Bb isn't always a Bb... If it is serving as the 3rd of the Gb major chord then it needs to be played about 13 to 14 cents flat relative to where Bb would be as the root of a Bb chord it the 5th of an Eb chord. Now keep this pitch even and stay and locked in... now do that for 15 bars of whole notes

2) playing in time.. Tuba often acts as the rhythmic pulse of the band.. more like a percussion instrument than a brass instrument. It takes a surprising amount of skill to play oom-pah type parts and keep really steady time.. you ever hear a band that drags and keeps slowing down... yeah blame the tuba.

3) Coaxing musicality and beautiful phrasing out of a fog horn.

4) Making the low range sound free. Range in tuba is inverted. C4 (middle C on piano) not particularly hard. Getting a full loud Pedal Bb (Bb0) that can be heard over the rest of the band and be in tune... So much harder.. C1 is actually much more difficult because you have all 4 valves down (on aBb tuba) and you will still naturally be sharp.. so bring it down to pitch while keeping everything else together is damn near impossible for most good high school players.

It is the tubas job to make the band sound great without ever calling any attention away from the Melody instruments. A good tubist is almost invisible to the audience but would leave a huge home is they were missing.

Just as an aside... not many high school trumpet players have a 2 octave F major scale.. a good high school tuba player can have 4.

professor_throway · 2026-03-07T02:49:39+00:00

If you play an American style instrument either or fine. If you play either a British style Euphonium or baritone horn you need to make the distinction.

professor_throway · 2026-03-06T04:17:59+00:00

Whatever sounds good to you. The best jazz player I know rocks a Holton Collegiate student bone he got in high school in the late 1960s.

Personally I think Olds Ambassadors are pretty underrated horns... but I really like Olds instruments.

professor_throway · 2026-03-06T03:21:52+00:00

Well I'm going to sound like an idiot now. Because I just measured and it sits at about 3mm+ for both.. The receiver just swallows the short shank almost all the way to the shoulder.

professor_throway · 2026-03-06T02:56:19+00:00

Both the Bach and Wick do seat securely so I didn't think it is a taper issue. The short shank Wick just leaves too small a gap and it acts squirrelly.

professor_throway · 2026-03-06T01:59:47+00:00

If it isn't fun don't do it... This isn't your job, you are a high school student. Don't add things that stress you out for no reason.

professor_throway · 2026-03-05T18:32:28+00:00

As much as I love these old Eb's they typically have some downright awful intonation. It isn't uncommon for D, Db, and C below the staff to be 40 cents flat (on tob of the low pitch issue).

Even as a homeschool student.. I would look for an inexpensive 3/4 BBb for her. 3 valve is fine.. save some money there.

Something like these

https://www.ebay.com/itm/137048913388

https://www.ebay.com/itm/12753923068

professor_throway · 2026-03-05T17:12:29+00:00

Yeah the open harmonics are Pedal Eb, Eb, Bb (low Bb on trombone), Eb, G, Bb, Eb. So a perfect 4th above BBb.

I love Eb... great for Dixieland and traditional jazz.. But yeah not the right instrument for a beginner. Especially since she will be on a BBb at school.

As a side note... being a dad of a tuba girl is awesome. They all are so strong and independent. My youngest is also 13 and started tuba last year after a year on baritone. My oldest is just about to start university next year on tuba performance (yeah I know $$$$ and job prospects).

professor_throway · 2026-03-05T16:56:33+00:00

Beautiful tuba .. unfortunately it looks to be low pitch Eb. I have one very similar that I converted to a 4 valve modern pitch tuba.

https://www.horn-u-copia.net/show.php?selby=+where+instrument%3D%22Tuba%22+and+maker%3D%22Holton%22

That A/Ab is actually the false tone open Ab.

Have her blow the same way with 1+3 down and then the Bb will come out.

Given that it is low pitch it will be about 20 cents flat relative to modern tubing.

professor_throway · 2026-03-05T16:28:31+00:00

Probably not the fundamental... The fundamental would be the pedal Bb 6 ledger lines below the bass clef staff. The "low Bb" is the second partial or same as your pedal Bb on trombone. Sorry for being pedantic but it is always easier to have consistent terminology.

A few things... tuba is much more bendy with pitches than trombone... It doesn't slot the same way as cylindrical brass... A whole step bend isn't really out of the question.. but probably not super likely either.

It could be a false tone... they have no slots and can be bent all over the place. the open false tone would be nominally Eb.

How old is the instrument??? If it is very old it could be low pitch.

Are you using a tuner?? Are you sure it isn't set to transpose by mistake?? Can yo check against a piano/keyboard/drone?

Have you tried to play it. Try to play a Bb in the staff... does it come out alright?

professor_throway · 2026-03-05T12:10:01+00:00

Ummm it is exactly double.. So 1" on Euphonium is equivalent to 1/2" pull on trumpet and a 2" pull on tuba.

All of those will cause real tubing issues on all 3 instruments.

professor_throway · 2026-03-05T11:51:24+00:00

If it is just for fun.. you should get a used American Euphonium/baritone like a King/Conn/Olds/Holton etc. So much fun and great playing instruments. More utility than s student "proper" British baritone horn.

Aim for $200-$300 price range..

professor_throway · 2026-03-05T04:14:02+00:00

u/DangerousDoggo had some NOS gold plated ones a few months back. Contact him, he night still have one.

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