When a Disadvantage Becomes an Advantage

[Mark Horne]

My B&S PT-3 gets used especially for outdoor gigs and/or situations where space on stage is at a premium. My only complaint is that it plays on the sharp side when the tuning slide is out a "normal" distance (e.g. one or two inches) . Fortunately it has a long tuning slide so I am able to pull it out the 3 or more inches needed to be in tune for average temperatures. In hot weather (90 degrees or more) I will add a sousaphone tuning bit to bring the pitch down to A=440.

Last Saturday I was playing a "Wreathes Across America" program on a foggy northern California morning with temperatures in the low 40's. With the tuning slide all the way in, I was able to play the tuning Bb up to pitch with just a little lipping up. None of my other horns would have even come close. I was also extremely thankful to have my red plastic Kellyberg to prevent my lips from going numb.

This experienced reinforced for me just how much more pitch sensitive to temperature a tuba is when compared to other instruments. It also reinforced that it is easier to bring a sharp pitch down than to bring a flat pitch up when your slides are all the way in.

[MaryAnn]

Yeah the air in a smaller instrument warms up, and it's damn hard to warm up all the air in a tuba. What I've noticed in my horn is that the water gathers at that point where the temperature of the metal is below the dew point of the air. Here in 105 degrees and 4% humidity, that just doesn't happen and the horn stays dry.

[Art Hovey]

That's how we know that tuba drool is mainly distilled water, and not "spit".

[swillafew]

Sharp compared to what?

I expect that PT3 is a wonderful horn.