subcontrabass tuba

A beast of an instrument. Few of these exist in the world and they mostly exist in either museums or private collections. They can easily weigh hundreds of pounds and would not be very easy to transport. They are usually in the key of 32-foot C (C 1 or CCC) or 36-foot B-flat (B-flat 0 or BBB-flat) note A and produce a powerful sound that requires a strong set of lungs. Some forms of subcontrabass tubas require two players (one for the valves, the other for blowing into the mouthpiece). Some forms have functional valves, while others don't. note B

Note A: Adolphe Sax made a 52-foot E-flat (E-flat 0 or EEE-flat) and exhibited it in 1851 in London, and in 1867 in Paris.
Note B: Some subcontrabass tubas may look like they have valves, but these are only done as an artistic choice rather than being usable.

1. One of the most famous examples of a subcontrabass tuba is the Big Carl. The Big Carl is owned by Carl Fischer Music and occasionally makes an appearance on YouTube.
2. Another example of a subcontrabass tuba is the Riesentuba. The Riesentuba is German for "giant tuba", referring to its massive size. It was used to get the fastest Flight of the Bumblebee record several times.
3. The 52-foot E-flat subcontrabass tuba made by Adolphe Sax has been missing for a very long time. It is unknown if this subcontrabass tuba will be seen again.

by Borchian October 17, 2025

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