Gronitz PCK 6/4 Kaiser Piston CC Tuba

Item Details

Closeout - final sale

Here we have a large 6/4 size five valve piston CC tuba called the Kaiser Model.  It's similar to the Hirsbrunner Grand Orchestra tuba, the Meinl Weston Baer and the Yorkaha tuba. Alan Baer actually won the New York Philharmonic position and several others on this model PCK tuba. The Gronitz PCK has been played by many professionals worldwide. Gronitz tubas are handmade in Bavaria, Germany in a small shop owned by Andreas Klingspor. The tubas are built to order and are hand assembled the old way.  This big tuba is also fairly light - 24.9 lbs., being made mostly of sheet brass bows rather than heavier bows made from tubes.  You can see the bottom bow seam when looking down into the bell  The PCK has a velvety smooth tone, and it's the easiest to play large tuba that you can find.  This design defines the modern orchestral sound.  Despite its large size, it's a very versatile tuba and is useful for smaller ensembles as well as large ones. I thought Gronitz piston valve tubas, including the PCK, now have MAW pistons as standard.  But on this one I dont see the distinctive D-shaoed airway so I don't know.  Maybe that's an F tuba feature? MAW pistons are a proprietary design by Martin Wilk for smoother air routing through the pistons.  Either way the pistons are made by Meinlschmidt in Germany. 

Includes top loading Supersac gig bag from Gronitz.  Mouthpiece sold separately.  PT size Euro receiver.  This one has a few tarnish spots I didnt wipe off for the new photos, it's been sitting in its gig bag for some time. I'll give it the full monty before shipping.

Who won an audition on a Gronitz PCK tuba?

Fort Worth Symphony - won by Alan Baer in 2003
National Symphony - won by Alan Baer in 2003
New York Philharmonic - won by Alan Baer in 2003
Canton Symphony - won by Tom Lukowicz in 2007
Springfield Symphony - won by Tyler Schwirian in 2012
Montreal Symphony - won by Austin Howle in 2013
Louisville Symphony - won by John DiCesare in 2014