1 valveset for 2 tubas?

[windshieldbug]

4" (15" vs 19", but German-style flare vs American-style flare), but I think it has more to do with bore and throat than it does bell size.

[Dan Schultz]

I have often thought about putting a smaller bell on my Boosey Eb. It would be neat to be able to switch from the 16 - 17" bell for quintet stuff to the 20" for bigger ensemble gigs

Which begs the question: is it the bell size or the bore size that makes the difference?

(I know that my quintet horn has a much smaller bore than the horn I used for orchestra.. )

I can tell you that putting a 17" bell on a King 2341 instead of the 22" bell (both the same length) dropped the pitch about 15 cents. Haven't got a clue why. I would have thought a smaller bell would tend to raise the pitch. Chuck G tried to explain the phenomenon to me.

[Søren]

It is a physical fact that the tuning of a brass instrument depends primarily on the bore of the first 3/4 of the horn, and the sound is primarily determined of the last 1/3 of the horn.
Therefore I think it makes sense to change a good leadpipe and a good valveset from one tuba to another, or change bells on a tuba.

The information is from “Horns, Strings, and Harmonyâ€

[eupher61]

thus TJ et al in the studio scene putting Miraphone bells on everything in the 70s/80s (that, and the fact that they were Miraphone endorsers playing on B&S!)

[cjk]

I played around with one of those 15" Imperial bells on a Mirafone 184...

...Those old 15" Eb Imperial bells are LOUD!

What were your other findings? Final assessment?

Doc

I know you're asking bloke, but the Besson bell sounded 98% the same as the original just with the volume turned way up. Much louder for less effort. I liked it, but chose a different bell (Buescher 17inch E-flat bell) because it had other qualities that I liked (rounder, louder than the original (but not as loud as the Besson), and the ability to change the personality of the sound from the mouthpiece). It can still be gruff, but now it can be round when I want it to. I still have the Besson bell in the attic for if or when I change my mind.

[iiipopes]

Of course, M-W/Melton and B&S/VMI have taken the art of using the same valve block for different instruments to a fine art. Now, if they would only make them modular, Oh, boy what a pandora's box that would open up! Switchable bell trumpets would seem downright pedestrian!