Leadpipes vs. Bocals

[Leland]

After trying out three different leadpipes on one tuba, I can say that they made a real difference in how the tuba responded. They had three different tapers, ranging from small to large, and the resulting tuba responded similarly, from feeling like a hefty 3/4+ to a decent 5/4.

True, the player makes most of the difference, and a leadpipe won't win or lose any gigs, but different leadpipes do make a tuba play differently.

[Dan Schultz]

According to my friend, reed, bocal, and bassoon all factor in about equally. Despite being a very simple piece of bent tubing (in theory), bocals can be ridiculously expensive and there's a lot of intense craftsmanship involved.

I play mostly tuba but also tinker with some of the woodwinds. I have owned (and played) alto, tenor, and bari saxes, and also a bassoon. I gave up the bassoon because I don't have enough thumbs! The thing I find most interesting about instruments like the bassoon is that there is little else for the player to do than press the right buttons and control the air flow. I think your friend is correct... if the bocal, reed, and instrument are not acceptable, there is little the player can do to compensate. On the tuba, there is A LOT for the player to do to produce the proper notes.

Another thing about bocals... they aren't exactly mass produced. You just don't see that many bassoons.

[Dan Schultz]

One thing I know for sure. If you replace the mouthpiece on a tuba with the bocal and double reed of a basson, it WILL make the awfullest racket you ever heard. Wayne (I've done that, man!) Wiley

WOW! I never thought to try THAT! I have duct-taped a clarinet MP to a tuba though.

[imperialbari]

Besson think, that leadpipes make a difference. They make 3 compensating Eb tubas:

the 981 has a short leadpipe, which reaches its full 0.689" bore way ahead of the entry into the valve block (fast expansion)

the 982 has a short leadpipe, which reaches its full 0.689" bore at the entry into the valve block (slower expansion)

the 983 has a much longer leadpipe, which reaches its full 0.689" bore at a later point than the 982 (slowest expansion)

Of course the inclusion of the 983 in the comparison it not entirely fair, as there are factors of weight and bell diameter involved there.

As for the bocal factor in brasses:

I actually think it starts at the throat of the mouthpiece.

As for the leadpipe effect:

I once heard John Marcellus (in vivo) tell about selecting the production leadpipe for the Benge symphonic 0.547" trombone.

Benge had made 17 leadpipes, which they gave him to select from.

The one selected for giving the most consistent sound and intonation of the full range was next to identical to the one sitting in the Conn 88H.

As for Joe Saying, that the musician is the determining factor to a degree of 91%:

As always Joe iS right. And as always he just needs a little bit of interpretation. Among those 91% are the abilities to select the right musical equipment for oneself.

Joe haS one of the higher THROUGH-rates in his tuba stable, at least as known from the TubeNet. So he can keep just about whatever he wants and needs. But apparently only his B&S 4+2RV F tuba has made it through a couple of decades. I guess it fits his musicianship quite well.

Klaus

[imperialbari]

As you could read from my posting both are seen. As are all the in-betweens.

Klaus

[Sam Gnagey]

Next week I have a trip to the Fox Bassoon factory planned. This is a topic I will explore with them and report back what we come up with.

[Leland]

My questions is does the taper go the entire length of the pipe (to the valve set), or is the taper only at the very beginning of the pipe and the rest is just a straight tube?

Like Klaus said, they really do come in all shapes.

The three that I mentioned earlier were so different that you could pick each one just by looking. I didn't think that interchangeable leadpipes were worth anything until I tried 'em out myself.