Contrabass bugle

The contrabass bugle is different from the other members of the marching band and drum corps hornlines in that it rests on the shoulder of the player, rather than being held in front of the body.

Equivalent instruments in the key of BB♭ and CC were produced by instrument manufacturers for marching bands who wished to possess the sound of these contrabass bugles, generally regarded as "darker", without losing hornline sonority by having the basses in a different overtone series from the rest of the hornline (or requiring marching tubists to learn another set of fingerings for tuba parts originally written for BB♭ and CC instruments).

With most circuits now permitting B♭, C, and F instruments, the modern contrabass bugle is essentially a concert tuba converted for ease of marching.

Generally, the primary differences between pure concert tubas and contrabass bugles are Although historically (see below) drum and bugle corps contras were pitched in G, the construction was nearly identical to modern B♭ and C instruments, the only differences being the length and diameter of the tubing and (at one time) the valve section.

The mouth of the large bell of a contrabass bugle can be used to display a colored elastic screen with a logo, as was done by the Madison Scouts in 1985.