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Interesting valve design! However, one would think that water would be prone to collect in all the slides with that layout?

No doubt light for its size and with excellent sound

Neptune wrote:Interesting valve design! However, one would think that water would be prone to collect in all the slides with that layout?....

YA! I would think this horn to be a 'water-chasin' nightmare!

There have been (still are?) Alexander tubas made this way. One was on a cover of a brass book. Maybe Whitener's book? Can't remember.

Alexander still makes the 173 CC tuba with valves under the levers. 5 valves, too.

http://www.gebr-alexander.com/ & follow the links for tubas to the 173.

I currently own (not for long) a 1902-ish Cerveny Eb with the valves under the levers and do not find water to be more of a problem. Remember, in the standard valve tubing setup, the water has to be blown "uphill" or emptied out, too.

I noticed that the thumb ring on the ebay tuba is not the 'original' Cerveny big circle. They kept that big thumb ring until the early 70's, at least. This should be newer than that time period, then. Just a guess.

The potential for mechanical efficiency seems so great, I wonder why this arrangment is not more common.

American Top Action Rotary Valves (TARV), which had a similar orientation, were made for several decades until they were finally replaced by piston valves toward the end of the 19th century.

Lubrication was never mentioned as an issue.

Alex C wrote:Alexander still makes the 173 CC tuba with valves under the levers. 5 valves, too.

http://www.gebr-alexander.com/ & follow the links for tubas to the 173.

I currently own (not for long) a 1902-ish Cerveny Eb with the valves under the levers and do not find water to be more of a problem. Remember, in the standard valve tubing setup, the water has to be blown "uphill" or emptied out, too.

I noticed that the thumb ring on the ebay tuba is not the 'original' Cerveny big circle. They kept that big thumb ring until the early 70's, at least. This should be newer than that time period, then. Just a guess.

The potential for mechanical efficiency seems so great, I wonder why this arrangment is not more common.

Willson still makes one BBb model like this. http://www.willson.ch

That tuba has been overhauled. The valves are not original. I would consider that a big plus.