Posted by Lew on February 20, 2002 at 09:19:11:
In Reply to: so, is red brass unsusceptable posted by Ian Easton on February 20, 2002 at 08:16:49:
Many tubas are available in red brass or gold brass. I have a Conn International/Cerveny stencil horn that is all "rose" brass with nickel silver leadpipe, slide tubing, braces, and valve casings. This material is an option on many Cerveny tubas. I bought it because I fell in love with the sound and the way that it plays. It also has excellent intonation throughout my range. I have none of the problems that Klaus mentions with the sound breaking up at high volume. In fact I find it almost impossible to overblow this horn. I didn't go out looking for a red brass instrument, but this was the one that I liked the best of all that I tried. I don't know how much of what I like about this horn is due to the red brass.
Miraphone makes tubas in what they call "gold" brass, which I believe is like red brass but with a little less copper content. I have seen Meinl-Weston tubas with red brass bells, and other manufacturers offer red brass bells or entire tubas.
Red brass is more expensive, adding as much as $1000 to the price of a tuba. That and the sound difference is why you don't see all tubas made of it. It is an option, the same way that it is on trombones. More expensive tubas use nickel silver or gold/red brass in the leadpipe and tuning slides, primarily for the reasons that you state and it has less of an impact on the sound.