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bloke wrote:Fred Marzan had Walter Nirschl make some of his tubas to-order with the main slide sticking UP, but it was way off to the player's left...' inconvenient.

I must disagree... spend some time with one! I spent 25 years with mine, and while you may be used to jamming your hand close-in for a 1st valve slide, it's actually VERY convenient off to the left when you only need to adjust one slide! (and the rest are out-of-reach pointing down... )

bloke wrote: ...
Has anyone ever seen a tuning-slide-the-mouthpipe front-action tuba with the slide going UP (and long enough) to come up to (approximately) the same position as a front-action tuba #1 slide?

http://www.amati-denak.cz/english/produ ... l_631g.htm

Interesting concept. That particular model is the best piston Hirsbrunner that I have ever played. I like it much more than the HB-20/21. Thats an interesting idea you have there though. I have spent alot of time with one of those Nirschl/Bohm & Meinl/Marzan horns, and I think your concept would work better. I think that slide is there for decoration, its extremely short. This particular horn has very suspect intonation. I suspect its because of the positioning of the 5th valve in the leadpipe. Its detachable, but the straight pipe was lost a long time ago. Oh well...sorry to ramble...good idea anyway!

The tuning in the leadpipe design has one more feature that bears considering: the water key. I tend to accumulate a lot of water when I play, so I for one would not like a leadpipe that drains it back into my mouth.

One would also assume that it has a major impact on the horn's bore configuration, given that piston valves tend to have a smaller bore and occur earlier in the profile than rotaries.

I have an HB-2P with the leadpipe slide. Personally I would NOT use it as a pulling slide. In fact I do a give and take between the leadpipe slide and the main slide to set intonation. Reason being is that the leadpipe slide, at least for me, has a noticeable impact on response. There is a sweet spot, which I like to leave it and then adjust the main slide for overall intonation.

Of course, in general, I am not a slide puller.

WoodSheddin wrote:Of course, in general, I am not a slide puller.

You are SO the man.

Bob,
Before you get too attached to any particular horn,

1) Try the slide in different positions and make sure that the sound and intonation doesn't change too much at the extreme throws of the slide, and
2) Take a tuner and make sure that the horn's got a good 440 base, and that you can go both in AND out far enough if you need to.

Then consider buying it and making the mods, however temporary.