Re: Yet another F tuba question


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Posted by Rick Denney on December 12, 2001 at 16:54:45:

In Reply to: Yet another F tuba question posted by me on December 12, 2001 at 15:54:32:

I don't think it's purely a case of rotary vs. piston, though it might be a case of the other differences that go along with the selection of valve technology. I've never compared a Meinl-Weston 45SLP with a 45S, but the 45SLP does require some work on that low C, though it isn't as much as other tubas.

In comparing my York Master tuba with my Miraphone, I noted other differences that result from the selection of valves. The Miraphone has a long leadpipe, required to route the tubing from the mouthpiece all the way to the far side of the horn where the first valve resides. The valves themselves are wider and take up more of the main bugle, and on the Miraphone the taper doesn't begin until after the main tuning slide. All in all, twice as much of the main bugle remains at the valve bore on that rotary tuba than on the piston-valve York Master. Thus, the piston instrument tapers more initially, and over a greater length of the bugle, than does the rotary instrument.

The Willson 3200 F tuba, which is a large F tuba that sounds like a contrabass, has a short leadpipe that feeds straight into the first valve. The taper on the 3200 starts immediately downstream of the fourth valve, and has a faster and earlier taper than the rotary version. The Yamaha is the same way. The rotary B&S, on the other hand, feeds the leadpipe into the fifth valve, and has a straight section of several inches from the fifth valve to the fourth valve. And the leadpipe on the PT-10P, which is a piston F tuba has a very long leadpipe--as long as a rotary tuba.

It matters most, it seems to me, when using the fourth valve, because that is when you have the most tubing in the bugle running through straight pipe. Sure, you can expand the leadpipe to full bore faster to make it effectively like a shorter one, but you still have a long section of straight tubing that is closer to the bell on rotary and some piston tubas than on the Willson or Yamaha tubas. Of course, the 45SLP also has a short leadpipe, so what the heck do I know?

I do know that the Miraphone BBb low F, which is the equivalent to the low C on an F tuba, requires some of the same sort of coaxing. This is not at all required on the York Master, where the F just pops right out without a second thought.

Rick "speculating" Denney


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