06/05/2026
Pics from the past.
Recently, a customer from the distant past brought in one of the many Mirafone tubas i restored and sold to him thirty years ago. It got me a tad nostalgic.
In the 1980s and early 90s, before the internet and eBay, quality used tubas were nearly impossible to find In the Puget Sound region.
During that time, a lot of school districts were auctioning off old band instrument inventories because it was simpler and cheaper to simply replace, rather then repair. My dad and I attended those auctions regularly and purchased every Mirafone, Cervant, King, B&S, Conn, tuba and sousaphone we could find. The repair and rebuilding of all those horns, would take years and be the primary revenue source that would enable me to start my buisness, tool it up and keep it going thirty-five years ago. I'm not sure how many I restored but I do know it was at least three or four dozen. Decades later, I am focusing on the backlog of customer tubas that have been slowly making their way through the shop and then I will maybe complete a few interesting examples in my personal collection, but the days of auctions and providing affordable quality tubas is not likely to be an adventure my aching hands will revisit.
