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I have always had a length of clear tubing around the bell wire of my Bach 879 (O-99 equiv.), like Tygon, etc. Could this have any negative effect on the sound? I have never noticed a problem, but there has been a lot of talk about resonance lately here, so I thought I would ask. Thanks..

I always thought that it was a rim protector for when you rested the tuba on its bell...

Thanks for all the info, I did originally put it on so it wouldn't fall over so easily , now I mostly watch that it doesn't turn green.

In my experience, I have used clear plastic tubing on several instruments, including tubas, souzys, and euphs. It does all the above: damp overring, protect the rim from dings and knocks, and even though I don't balance my tuba on its bell, to cushion the bell as well, as when disassembling a souzy when putting it in its case. In order to prevent tubing from coming off, I use a hair dryer to heat and soften the tubing when curling it into position so that its tendency is to stay curled and stay put, rather than tending to straighten out and separate from the bell. Nothing new. Twenty-five years ago, a band director friend of mine whose primary instrument was bass bone had a M-W 11 that actually had a factory formed rim protector out of clear plastic installed on it.

When I was born it was popular at the time to remove everyone’s rim protector.