Tubax

The tubax is a modified saxophone developed in 1999 by the German instrument maker Benedikt Eppelsheim. It is available in both E-flat contrabass and B-flat or C subcontrabass sizes.

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Although the tubax has the same fingering as a regular saxophone, it has a much narrower (though still conical) bore, somewhat like that of a sarrusophone, though not as narrow, so there is some controversy over whether it is technically a true saxophone. The first size of tubax to be developed was the E-flat contrabass. It has the same register as a regular contrabass saxophone but is much more compact and thus more manageable due to its tubing being folded more times. It takes a baritone saxophone mouthpiece.

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More recently, Eppelsheim also began making a subcontrabass tubax in CC and BB♭. The BB♭ instrument is equivalent in register to the subcontrabass saxophone proposed by Adolphe Sax but never created. Both instruments also use a baritone saxophone mouthpiece.

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Saxophone: The saxophone or sax is a conical instrument of the woodwind family, usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece like the clarinet. It was invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The saxophone is most commonly associated with popular music, big band music, and jazz, but it was origi...

1999: :For the album by Prince, see 1999 (album)...

Benedikt Eppelsheim: Benedikt Eppelsheim is a world-renowned German maker of high- and low-voiced saxophones, the soprillo (sopranissimo) and tubax (subcontrabass), which are available exclusively from him. He also makes bass saxophones, contrabass saxophones, and contrabass clarinets....