Miraphone / Besson / Minick Tuba in D

The Miraphone CC 184 5U was a wonderful instrument, it could move, sing and project but it had become evident that it simply did not have the sonic mass to put a bottom on a symphony orchestra. Roger Bobo played this instrument whenever possible but those possibilities were becoming less and less frequent. In 1972, Roger had Larry Minick exchanged the original Miraphone 184 bell with a Besson Eb Imperial bell. It was an absolutely perfect fit. Although this opened up the sound considerably, it still was not the ideal symphony tuba. This instrument with the Besson bell was used for Roger's second recording of the William Kraft Encounters II for solo tuba. After that recording the instrument, sat for several years unused.

In 1978, Roger Bobo thought instead of letting this wonderful instrument sit unused, it would be better to use it in the form of a D tuba, something he had been thinking about for sometime. Larry Minick soon began work, and the D tuba was ready in a few months. It was a better D than it was a CC, and it was a great CC! As a CC tuba the 184 was quite a small instrument but as a D the proportions were much better.

This instrument was never used frequently but it sounded extraordinarily correct for Brahms 2nd and Dvorak 8th.

Today, the D Tuba is owned by TubaNews.com Co-Editor and RogerBobo.com web master Rose Schweikhart, who uses it on a weekly basis in small chamber settings where it blends beautifully with strings and winds.