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I was just wondering does a pvak really improve the way your horn plays and what does it exactly do? I'm just curious if it would change anything on the way my Willson plays.

You will feel the mouthpiece sitting a bit higher because your checkbook has been shallowed.

K

Here's a good start : viewtopic.php?f=2&t=31111" target="_blank" target="_blank

FWIW, I'm a cheapskate and I prefer using felts. However, some have the money to buy the PVAK...

I got the PVAK for both my Miraphone 1292 and Hirsbrunner HB-10. With both, I did notice a slight difference in the resonance of the horn, which I think sounds good. I do think that the components (metal washers and hard rubber rings) will last longer than the felts.

Anyway...I bought 'em and I'm satisfied with them. I don't consider it throwing money away. They're not life-changing, but I do think it's a quality product that does a good job for it's intended purpose.

I had one custom-fit for my old Marzan last summer. I was curious to try it, and also being an older tuba wanted to get it set up for something that would never need to be adjusted.

The kit itself was nice, and it did seem to tighten things up in some intangible way. Hard to explain, but I liked it more with than without. My valves were well-aligned to begin with (a "really good job" as Alan said), so there wasn't a lot of change there. And as advertised, I never noticed a change in that new "feel" afterwards, always the same.

And while the kit itself was fine and worth the money for the custom install, the best part was spending the morning with Alan at his house while he did the work. I learned an awful lot about my tuba, tubas in general, and the tuba business that day.

bort wrote:IThe kit itself was nice, and it did seem to tighten things up in some intangible way. Hard to explain, but I liked it more with than without. My valves were well-aligned to begin with (a "really good job" as Alan said), so there wasn't a lot of change there. And as advertised, I never noticed a change in that new "feel" afterwards, always the same.

Same for me, except for the spending time with Mr. Baer part. I like it.

I installed a PVAK on my PT6. Since my valves were pretty well aligned to begin with I can't say that I noticed an improvement in the overall sound. The valves did feel a heck of a lot more "thuddy", and in the end traditional felts won out, in addition to regular checkups and the deft hands of Dana Hofer here in Chicago.

If you get your horn checked every so often, then it really comes down to personal choice from my experience. YMMV. I suppose if you pound the crap out of your valves it might be a good idea to look into the PVAK also.