TubeNet

Miraphone, like several other makers like B&S, Cerveny/Amati, and in some respects also British Besson, had a modular production programme, where the basic acoustic designs were the same, whereas numbers of valves, nickel silver trim, or alloys would vary between model numbers/names and price levels. In Germany Miraphone classified their models by numbers. That may have varied in other markets.

If you go to the index of my Yahoo-based galleries and search for

Miraphone rotary tubas, illustrations from a circa 1993 catalogue

you will find a table of German and American specs.

The index is here:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/Yo ... %20format/

Klaus

You found out about the layout you wanted, good.

As for variances in the airpath between models with a lower or higher number of valves, I only want to add some more general remarks.

With some (older) Amati/Cerveny models the 3 valve versions sit oddly naked in the middle of a straight branch. Clearly the space to add up to two rotors above the first and one rotor below the 3rd already is included in the design.

With student/amateur instruments from a maker also making high end instruments there is no cost saving in producing the simpler instruments to a lesser acoustical design. So parts, sometimes aside from alloys, often are the same. One difference seen in student trumpets and trombones from Bach and from some other makers is about avoiding the costly process of making the bells out of one piece of brass.

Some Besson compers in Bb and BBb have fake (not in the airpath) tubing for hand rests. As the corresponding non-compers don’t route their 4th loop through the top ends of the 3 first pistons, then exactly the 4th loop gets one more purpose doubling as hand rest.

Klaus