Re: Sheet Metal


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Posted by Well... on October 11, 2002 at 22:33:41:

In Reply to: Sheet Metal posted by De on October 11, 2002 at 20:51:00:

The main parts of any tubas are made from sheets of metal, generally brass, rose/gold/red brass, or nickel silver. What differentiates horns is how the metal is formed into the proper shape. Hand hammered bows are considered by some to be superior vs. those that are machine formed. The small tubing is generally made from brass tubing that I assume these days is seamless, so it doesn't have the same issue as the bows, branches, and bell. Tubas with hand made bows and branches, like the Meinl-Weston 2000 or which is available on the Fafner certainly cost more.

The answer to your second question is no, or maybe yes, it's totally a matter of opinion. The 191 is a very good rotary valve BBb tuba, but there are some BBb tubas that are as good or better, and there are certainly more expensive BBb tubas around. Many would argue that the best all around tuba to handle the widest variety of playing situations would be a CC, so the 191 can't even compete. Others may say that an F or Eb would be better. There's no point in trying to say which is the "best" tuba overall, or in a particular key because it will vary from person to person. I think that we are fortunate that there are a wide variety of well designed and made tubas available for us to pick from today.



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