Mike Johnson

Mike Johnson brings a unique set of skills to the art of designing and building Low Brass Instruments.

Mike has made a large part of his living working as a Tuba player since 1979. He has also kept up playing in Brass Bands, mainly on BBb Bass and has played for most of the top brass bands in the UK.
Whilst playing Tuba in the Natal Philharmonic Orchestra in Durban, South Africa, he started to experiment with changing things on his Tuba.
The week after featuring as the soloist with the NPO, during February of 1985, Mike converted his Besson 981 EEb tuba to have a detachable bell, armed with a gas torch, a roll of solder, a junior hacksaw and the kitchen table!
Thus started a fascination with improving things.
He spent 1992 as a full-time repair technician under the watchful eye of Miles Barnfield in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, learning to formalise his skills.
Mike returned to the UK in 1994 and set up shop in 1997, making custom parts and building one-off instruments.