Eppelsheim Tubax website

[saxtek]

Benedikt Eppelsheim has a new website up and running with photos and information about the Tubax Eb contrabass saxophone and the tiny Soprillo. Only the German language page is running right now, so click on the box marked "Deutsch".

There are lots of good photos and sound clips of his unusual products. Go to:

Eppelsheim.com

[saxtek]

English language page is also working now.

[Gandar]

Btw, there is no information on how much those horns are worth. Does anybody know, how much they cost?

[Stacey]

The Eb contrabass Tubax is available for $16,000 through USA Horn (I emailed them for a quote). I don't know about prices for the "soprillo" or the in-development "subcontrabass tubax". For the subcontra, it might be cheaper to buy a tugboat, remove the foghorn, and use that as your instrument!

Having said that - I wish, I wish, I wish I had $16,000 for a Tubax.

No, my next $5,000 in "free money" will buy me a Yani sopranino and a silverplated Steve Goodson tenor. Probably.

At some point my wife will realize my intentions and start to complain. I notice she looks suspiciously at the soprano, alto, and C-melody cases in the "music room", but she hasn't realized that I want to add a sopranino, tenor, bari, bass, and contra to the collection - poor woman...

[Pete]

I've contacted Eppelsheim, and Benedikt Eppelsheim himself e-mailed me back.

Products:
- Bb Soprillo, the Bb sopranissimo saxophone, is 1800 EUR net.
- Eb Tubax, the Eb contrabass alternative, is 14100 EUR.
- Bb Tubax, the Bb subcontrabass, is 15510 EUR.
- C Tubax, the C subcontrabass, is also 15510 EUR (and he sent me a pic that I'll post soon)

Additional charges: Shipping will cost about 500 EUR; US customs is 5%, and fees for a customs broker about 300 USD (all approximate and based on the Tubax).

Waiting period: 5 or 6 months on the Soprillo and Eb Tubax, 1 year on the Bb and C Tubax.

We did not discuss the beautiful C contrabass sarrusophone (http://www.internationalfilmmusicservices.com/ifms.playerofmonth1.htm). I have asked for further information on the re-designed Bb bass they offer -- and, if it's got the same keywork as the Tubax, it may be the BEST bass available.

(Oh. I also did mention the typos regarding the Soprillo on the English side of their website. Go there and see if you can spot 'em.)

===========

I had also asked if the Bb Soprillo might be available in different pitches. Mr. Eppelsheim asked if I thought any others were warranted. Ha ha!

I suggested:

* Ab sopranino (there are Ab sopranino clarinets)
* A soprano
* G soprano (someone here once asked for one)

... and, because they introduced the C contrabass ...

* C soprano
* C tenor

I also pointed out that the F mezzo soprano/alto is again growing in popularity. I'm awaiting his response to all this :D.

If anyone else has questions about these horns, please post here and I'll try to send them to Mr. Eppelsheim. I'd love to get more info on these horns!

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Coda: saxtek has sent me some wonderful recordings of his Eb Tubax and Jay Easton has posted a recording of his Bb Tubax on his website. Additionally, Mr. Easton will be releasing a CD with the Tubax and Soprillo (and possibly his Eb contra, too) in a bit.

[Pete]

In today's e-mail ...

Don´t forget: This is no factory, but a small workshop of 2,5 people.

I cannot afford to make a lot of tools for some saxophone specialties and then use them only three times a year. For the Tubaxes, this is different, as with a few tricks I can take the same body and keywork parts as for Eb, except for the straight tubes.

Since the C tenors and sopranos still sell at about 500 to 1000 EUR, I think there cannot be much market. Concerning Conn-O saxes, this might be different.

Maybe we'll have some new F horns on the horizon! (Sorry, C fans.)

He goes on to say that the Eppelsheim bass does not have all the same kework design as the Tubax, but, "Of course, there will be a lot of similarities in detail, i.e. in order to use the same small parts."

[electricninja]

Is it correct to call the Tubax an "E-flat contrabass saxophone" or must we use the "alternative" suffix?

[electricninja]

Stacey,

You want to add a sax collection to your woman, and I want to add a woman to my sax collection...poor saxes j/k

[saxtek]

Is it correct to call the Tubax an "E-flat contrabass saxophone" or must we use the "alternative" suffix?

Good question. In the 1800s, when Adolphe Sax developed an instrument with a different bore shape, he often gave it a new name. For example, in the brass family, the SAXHORN and the SAXOTROMBA were similar, but the saxotromba had a slightly smaller bore (slower bore taper).

Perhaps Adolphe sax would have called the Tubax the Satrombaphone, or another spectacular name. At any rate, the Tubax is the most practical contrabass instrument yet, and it definitely falls into the saxophone family. I think it sounds like a super-low baritone. Check out the mp3.

http://members.aol.com/saxtek/Stardust_lowfi.mp3