Posted by Frederick J. Young on December 27, 2001 at 18:04:02:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Eb-Tuba Willson vs. Besson Sovereign posted by Barry Guerrero on December 27, 2001 at 01:44:37:
They are easy to order from Gronitz who has been making true double tubas for many, many years. I would suggest you get a Gronitz F/BB(natural)tuba with four double valves of the usual sort, that is, 2, 1, 3 and 5 semitones lowering. Starting at F just below the staff one would descend in half tones by using 2, 1, 12, 23, 4 to get to C two lines below the staff. The hold down the switch valve to get B natural below the staff. Keeping this down use 2, 1, 23, 4 and 24 to get to low F# four lines below the staff. To continue descending one lifts the switch valve and repeats the whole sequence. Dietrich Kleine-Horst knows how to make such instruments which he calls the "Tritonus" double tuba. You could have a fifth double valve as mine double tuba does but I'm not sure it is worth the added weight and it might be hard to find space for it on a lap tuba in F. You might have to pull a slide a couple of inches to get the 24 combination flat enough on the BB side of the tuba. Once you got used to the system you would never have to use any complex fingerings!
Of course, it might cost about 10,000 Deutsch Marks but we all pay much more than that for cars and other things that don't keep their value as well as tubas. If you order one make sure it doesn't have composite valves because they stick in hot weather. I guess it usually doesn't get much hotter than about 65 Deg. F. in Hamburg and it is not a problem there. In my case I have had them stick very badly. I once played the Capuzzi Double Bass Concerto with a stuck 1st valve. One could not do that on a conventional tuba!