Posted by Jay Bertolet on September 08, 2001 at 18:40:44:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Detachable Bell CCs posted by Lew on September 08, 2001 at 12:54:26:
You make an excellent point. Since I posted the specifics of the modifications to my Cerveny 601, many Tube-Netters have contacted me asking whether I thought such modifications would benefit their horn. It really does depend on the tuba and the player. For example:
I dampened my Cerveny because I felt there was too much sympathetic frequency loss. I feel like the process was a huge success. The resultant horn had a much more focused sound and I felt the horn slotted better too.
Conversely, the Willson Eb I own touts the unique construction of its bell, among other things. This bell is made out of a single piece of metal, unlike the bells of other manufacturers which are usually two pieces welded together. In this case, they actually assert that the singular integrity of the bell is a positive thing. I would guess that such a one-piece construction (mono-bell) would ring more because of the process.
Comparing the metal gauge of the two horns, the Cerveny is much thinner than the Willson. I would guess that this makes the difference and explains why I won't be trying to dampen the bell on my Willson anytime soon.
The conversion of tubas to removable bell instruments was a very popular concept when I was in college. My teacher, Abe Torchinsky, often speculated about the possible positive effects of the bell collar necessary for such a conversion. His King CC tuba had just such a collar. Still, I think it is an evaluation peculiar to the individual player. Abe's horn had the collar but those King's were built like tanks. I would guess the metal on that horn was very thick. I don't know for sure but I would guess that Warren Deck's ideas regarding the early versions of the 2165, which included a donut that was installed inside the bell and functioned essentially the same way as a bell collar would, were influenced by the functioning of Torchinsky's tuba. The 2165 also has a pretty thick metal. I know adding a collar was something I even considered with my Rudy 4/4. Ultimately, I decided against it because I wasn't unhappy with the way the horn functioned. In my mind, that has to be the deciding factor.
My opinion for what it's worth...