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MW might just manufacture more in silver than lacquer. I think especially when people are shelling out big bucks for a tuba, they want it to look impressive too, and more people than not equate this to silver. Look at all of the heavily worked on Oberloh tubas, etc. Almost all silver.

Some people believe they can tell a difference in sound between silver and lacquer tubas, but I'm not convinced myself. I actually prefer lacquer, since it doesn't tarnish.

pauvog1 wrote:just cause silver looks cooler ?

Pretty much hit the nail on the head right there.
Also, there's a premium that comes with silver plate. You know, like paying five bucks for a soda at the movie theatre.

When I got my first horn I had been playing a 186 that had been completely stripped. It was great, and my school had a couple of 186s that were new and didn't play nearly as well - so I decided to order mine with silver plate (an extra $250!), figuring that I didn't have the guts to strip it. At the time the Mirafone folks actually wrote back, asking if I really wanted silver - apparently nobody in the states ever asked for it!

When my 186 got there, I was convinced it sounded better than the others - psychoacoustics, perhaps, but as the years rolled by and conductors would rave about the sound of that horn, I'm more inclined to believe that there's something special about it. Maybe it's not the plating, but I'm still glad I did it - especially when I saw my colleagues losing their lacquer after one or two years (it was a problem with Mirafones for quite some time)

Also, it's my impression that a lot of manufacturers aren't using lacquer now anyway, and that some have moved to polyurethane, which is much more durable. Perhaps some folks in the tech area have more knowledge about this... just as they may know if what Charlie Kraus said to me several years ago is true - that it actually costs more for a manufacturer to lacquer a horn than it does to silver plate it, because the the lacquering process is so much more labor-intensive. Always been curious about that one...

Slamson wrote: ...At the time the Mirafone folks actually wrote back, asking if I really wanted silver - apparently nobody in the states ever asked for it!...

That's funny. But I can see why they asked you that; I dont think I've ever even SEEN a silver Miraphone in person. I kind of wish more of these horns today we equally produced in every finish. I've never seen a lacquered St. Petersburg, a silver Miraphone, a laquered Besson 983 etc... It would be cool to see more tubas come out offered in the satin silver/satin laquer finishes. Just the thought of a satin silver Miraphone 187 amazes me.

schlepporello wrote:

TUbajohn20J wrote:I dont think I've ever even SEEN a silver Miraphone in person.

It's been several years agao, but there used to be a young girl attending WTAMU who had a silver 186. It sounded OK and she said she really loved the horn. To me though, it seemed to make having a silver bell ring pointless as there was now nothing for the bell ring to visually accent.

I actually like the "stealth" accent of the silver ring on a silver tuba. Different people, different opinions.

What I *really* like is unlacquered gold brass. I think a well-worn finish on a tuba from years of heavy use, with few dents, is a beautiful sight. Like it's the "real deal" and it's really deserved that much play time.

I don't really like silver trombones, but for tubas and euphoniums I am fairly ambivalent. However, old-old tubas in silver tend to look better than old-old tubas in lacquer. There's something classic about an old, silver, American tuba.
I only clean and don't polish instruments. And I don't even clean old silver horns that much as then my hands get dirty holding it for the next few days.

Personally I have always preferred lacquer for both its feel under the fingers and ease of keeping clean and shiny.

Most non-brass-playing people do not seem to realise my tubas are lacquered. I have lost count of the number of times I have got comments on how I must spent hours polishing

Jonathan "who prefers to spend his tuba time playing, rather than polishing"

For the patina.

BTW I remember seeing an old article by Ronald Schilke finding uniform thickness of finish after years of use partly because silver is much thinner to begin with.

Having owned tubas with all three types of finishes, I have found lacquered tubas to be the easiest to maintain. Silver looks great but its not fun spending 2-3 hours polishing it--same goes for raw brass (unless you're into brown brass which I do not like at all). I wipe down my lacquered tuba and hit it with some Pledge before performances...looks like a million bucks and always get compliments on its appearance.

JJ