Multi-purpose “do-everything horn” E-flat tuba project

[UDELBR]

Question: do you recall how you addressed the bore taper, from the end of the dogleg into the large size of the MTS? Every monster E flat I've seen has a bore of +/- .750 there, while the .748 valveset is .787/20mm at the small side of the MTS.

Made a new dogleg. I've been building instruments for about 30 years, and am comfortable making bows, leadpipes and such. Less than 1.5" diameter, I'll start with pipe and use draw rings to make it conical. Larger than that, I make from sheet brass and silver-solder a seam. The rest: anneal, fill with lead, bend, empty, etc.

[UDELBR]

And--thanks for sharing that performance. You get a great sound out of that horn

Thank you! In all immodesty, it's the best tuba I've ever played, and I've played a bunch.

[roweenie]

Question: do you recall how you addressed the bore taper, from the end of the dogleg into the large size of the MTS? Every monster E flat I've seen has a bore of +/- .750 there, while the .748 valveset is .787/20mm at the small side of the MTS.

Made a new dogleg. I've been building instruments for about 30 years, and am comfortable making bows, leadpipes and such. Less than 1.5" diameter, I'll start with pipe and use draw rings to make it conical. Larger than that, I make from sheet brass and silver-solder a seam. The rest: anneal, fill with lead, bend, empty, etc.

Outstanding, sir - I tip my virtual had to you!

[funkhoss]

I thought I'd give a brief update on this project.

I did end up buying a Jarno #5 reamer, reaming the 981 receiver out to a larger size, and having Doug Elliott make me a custom shank with a small end of .590". There had been a miscommunication between Doug and me; in an earlier post I said that Doug's Hirsbrunner shank was .590", but that was incorrect. His Hirsbrunner shank is actually .550". Nevertheless, Doug made me a TC shank in the custom larger size for no extra charge. With this shank, the end of the mouthpiece is almost the same size in diameter as the small end of the leadpipe, so there's practically no "step" down into the leadpipe.

Size wise, going from a .520" shank/receiver to a .590" shank/receiver is about the same difference as putting a large-shank receiver in place of the small-shank one on a Yamaha 321 euphonium. Playing wise...it's about the same sort of difference, too!

I am extremely pleased with the results. The difference is NOT subtle, and I noticed it from the first note I played with the larger shank/receiver. Everything is improved, with no downsides whatsoever. The horn is more open from top to bottom (yes, even the upper register is better!) and the sound is substantially more resonant, vibrant, and alive. It does not at all feel "too big"--everything is still centered and focused. Where it really shines, though, is playing (1) loud, (2) low, and (3) loud and low. Again: it's hard to overstate how differently the horn plays--it's almost like a different instrument.

I'm guessing that with such a large mouthpiece cup, and with such a large leadpipe (the 981 leadpipe is already pretty wide, and I cut it about 2" shorter than "stock" when I installed it), the (relatively) small shank/receiver was really choking down the resonance potential of the entire instrument. I was not at all expecting there to be that much of a difference...but again, it's pretty dramatic.

Here are some pictures:

Shortened 981 leadpipe


Custom enlarged receiver and custom shank


I stripped the old ugly lacquer off of the upright King bell recently, too:

Complete horn


This horn, with the two setups (original 15" bell, original Imperial leadpipe, and shallow mouthpiece, vs. King 19"/22" bell, modified 981 leadpipe, and deep mouthpiece) really does play like two very different instruments. It's exactly what I wanted.

-Funkhoss

[funkhoss]

Just so you can SEE how large this custom .590" shank is, here are some pictures of it next to a standard American shank:





And, just for fun, here are some pictures of my two mouthpieces. Doug Elliot "L" cup is on the left, and "Tc" cup is on the right:







In these pictures, the L cup has a TU 126 rim (32mm) attached, and the Tc cup has a TU 130 rim (33mm) attached, but I'm currently using the 130 rim with both cups.

You might be tempted to think that the Tc cup is "too big" for this horn...but it's not. It's very easy to play, and has a lovely centered, focused (but HUGE) sound.

-Funkhoss

[funkhoss]

Thanks.

Your glowing praise of your recording bell Besson E-flat was definitely inspiring! I did go in a little different direction with mine, but you certainly provided some of the impetus. One thing I figured out all on my own, though: I've had an extension on the compensating third valve slide of my euphonium for nearly 15 years. It's good to know that others came to the same conclusion.

I still think you should experiment with different leadpipes on yours. The results might be different than leadpipe experiments you've done on other tubas in the past...

-Funkhoss