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Just a thought- has anybody tried to build a tuba with Thayer axial valves?

Unless you've worked on trombones with dual Thayers or Hagmann valves, it would be difficult to explain all the reasons why such a contraption hasn't happened. By it's very nature, a trombone has very little restriction and those types of valves are meant to create as little restriction as possible to stay with the program.

On the other hand.... tubas by their very nature, have loads of restriction. That's what makes 'em sound like they do. Who wants a tuba that sounds like a trombone?

Thayer, Hagmann, and those 'hockey puck' Conn CL valves are all very 'stinky'. Just my personal opinion.

An observation that might shed some light.........................

Ronal Foster, Retired Marine Band tuba, then 2nd trombonist just returned to the Jonesboro Arkansas area to live. He subbed in the trombone section at the latest symphony concert, and I got to look at a Bach 42B that he had. It was set up with two axial flow valves, 1 in Gb and the other in Ab. (If I remember the discussion correctly)

He had this setup made, but originally wanted a 1/2 step second valve. The technician stated that there would not be enough room to make the slide section of the valve, and after looking at the valve, I agreed.

If you look at this from a tuba standpoint, you would defeat the purpose of the axial flow by having to quickly bend the pipe to the point of having any pull in the valve slide.

To a lesser extent, you would also defeat the purpose of Hagmann, Bach K-valves, and Miller valves as well.

Tom Mason

I can't speak from personal experience of Thayer valves, but the Hagmann valves on my Haag cimbasso don't have the problem you refer to - there is an excellent semitone valve without any sharp bends in the tubing

The Hagmann valves on this instrument have a bore of 16mm (5/8") and the set of 5 has an installed length of 280mm (11"). There is no physical reason why someone couldn't have Rene Hagmann make a set of valves for a tuba of 0.75", except that perhaps no-one has pockets deep enough. A set of 5 Thayer-style valves would be difficult to mount, but cost is the only thing stopping someone using the Hagmann valves.

Whether we need to or not is another question - as Dan says

Cam