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Years ago, Ren Schilke did a series of experiments using different bell materials for a trumpet. Here's a link to his lecture on the subject:

http://www.dallasmusic.org/schilke/Brass%20Clinic.html

That being said, I doubt that steel would make much of a difference from brass for the bell on a tuba. Some austenitic stainless alloys have better spinning properties than brass. I suppose if someone had the time, tooling and motivation, one could probably build a very striking looking tuba with large branches made from stainless. With a brushed finish, it might bear a family resemblence to my refrigerator...

Steel Tuba? I'm guessing it would give you a tone with a Caribbean flavor and cause you to crave Red Stripe beer and cause an overwhelming desire to partake of the local herb.

Would this be in the same instrument family group as steel guitar?

Stainless steel would be better than brass because it is lighter and stronger, and does not corrode. But it would still dent easily. I think carbon fiber is the way to go for the larger bows and bell.

Art Hovey wrote:Stainless steel would be better than brass because it is lighter and stronger, and does not corrode. But it would still dent easily. I think carbon fiber is the way to go for the larger bows and bell.

How about carbon fiber rotors (or pistons, for that matter) -- any known minuses? (they'd certainly be light)

Silicon carbide also comes to mind for valve apps ... any thoughts?

Kevin Hendrick wrote:

Art Hovey wrote:Stainless steel would be better than brass because it is lighter and stronger, and does not corrode. But it would still dent easily. I think carbon fiber is the way to go for the larger bows and bell.

How about carbon fiber rotors (or pistons, for that matter) -- any known minuses? (they'd certainly be light)

Silicon carbide also comes to mind for valve apps ... any thoughts?

As varioius manufacturers (Hirsbrunner, Finke, etc.) found out, the fly in the ointment with non-brass rotors is the difference in coefficient of expansion between the rotor and the brass casing. If sufficiently dissimilar, you wind up with a choice between leaky valves or valves that jam in warm weather.

You could use a different material for the casing, but then you'd have the problem of how to provide a solderable surface to which to attach tubes.

There was a french horn made sometime ago that used aluminum rotors, but saliva reacts with aluminum--and you can guess the rest.

There's probably a combination of materials that will work well, but will it work sufficiently better than the current (brass) approach to justify the added cost and tooling?