Alexander F contrabass - original Kunitz' design

[jonathanharker]

While poking around for trombone-related material for Wikipedia, I discovered that Dillon have listed a used 1960s Kunitz-designed Alexander contrabass in F. This is the same design that appears in Kunitz' 1959 German patent 1225033 for "Zugposaune", as you can see. Looks like it might have been modified with newer levers or linkages?

Still, might be a fabulous addition to museum and collector folks out there

[Burgerbob]

Very cool. I wonder what size it is.

My '60s German opera wrap contra is actually just .551 in the slide, for instance.

[Finetales]

That contra has been sitting for sale at Dillon for YEARS. I'm fairly certain it's been there for at least a decade at this point.

[jonathanharker]

That contra has been sitting for sale at Dillon for YEARS. I'm fairly certain it's been there for at least a decade at this point.

Interesting. I wonder if it's either "lost in the system" and was sold years ago, or just genuinely nobody wants it? I think the right museum ought to preserve it as a part of trombone history. It's also got a handle, so you can actually do the Bartók gliss properly with it (unless you really feel the need to do it on a double-slide howitzer). I'm trying to get to the bottom of Kunitz's patent - is the novel part the fact that it uses metal levers/linkages instead of string (I've heard somewhere the Dehmel used leather thumb loops on strings? That could be wrong...), or is it that he put the second valve on a finger lever (instead of two thumb levers)? My German is not good enough.

[Burgerbob]

It's also got a handle, so you can actually do the Bartók gliss properly with it (unless you really feel the need to do it on a double-slide howitzer).

I highly doubt that's a 7 position slide- most contras are short of 6, a 7 position in F is very very long.

[BGuttman]

It's also got a handle, so you can actually do the Bartók gliss properly with it (unless you really feel the need to do it on a double-slide howitzer).

I highly doubt that's a 7 position slide- most contras are short of 6, a 7 position in F is very very long.

Hence the lever. I played an Alexander F/C with one valve at a show many years ago and the slide was 7 positions but you needed the lever to reach the outer ones.

Similarly, G basses have levers to allow you to reach 7 positions.

The short slide is a relatively modern take on F trombones.

[Burgerbob]

I highly doubt that's a 7 position slide- most contras are short of 6, a 7 position in F is very very long.

Hence the lever. I played an Alexander F/C with one valve at a show many years ago and the slide was 7 positions but you needed the lever to reach the outer ones.

Similarly, G basses have levers to allow you to reach 7 positions.

The short slide is a relatively modern take on F trombones.

My contra had a handle, and doesn't even have 6 positions.