Melton / Meinl Weston and NY Phil’s Alan Bear create the new F-Tuba 6460 „Kodiak“ [Musikmesse 2008]

7 March 2008 — The think-tank Melton/Meinl Weston, Gerhard A. Meinl and Alan Bear continues to be creative: After presenting the successful 6/4 C-tuba „Baer“ last year at Frankfurt Musikmesse, this year the new F-tuba “Kodiak” will arrive at Frankfurt.

Starting point for this instrument was Alan’s sound – dream and playing abilities. From there, they created a big and free blowing instrument, just in the tradition of the “Bear” CC tuba. The name “Kodiak” also comes from a bear: it is one of the biggest bears still existent today. Gerhard Meinl traveled more than once to the Avery Fisher Hall in New York to achieve improvements with Alan. To meet the demand for grand and exclusive sound, the tuba was checked by Alan in rehearsals with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra while Gerhard was listening.

In the end, the Kodiak is an instrument clearly from the Meinl Weston family, with six rotary valves and an extra big bore. As Alan comments: “Nothing in the world sounds bigger than this horn.”

Melton/Meinl-Weston F-Tuba model Kodiak 6460

• 6/4 size
• bore: 1st and 2nd valve 19.5mm (0.796“); 3rd-6th valves (0.846“) (Big Valve)
• bell diameter: 420mm (16.535“)
• 6 rotary valves
• right hand thumb activated 5th valve / long whole step
• left hand index finger activated 6th valve / long halftone
• halftone trigger (left hand middle finger operated)
• silver plated