Tuba "fads" that actually stuck

[eupher61]

If it feels good, use it. 'nuff said?

[iiipopes]

SOUSAPHONES

Yes, they need to be bigger to fit with the overall larger trend of 6/4 and larger concert tubas

They need to be bigger to fit with the overall trend of 6/4 and larger players!

So all you need to do is convince Conn-Selmer to drag out the old 38K & 40K plans and start making them again. These are the 6/4 horns of the souzy world, along with the King Jumbo, the Martin Mammoth, and the Holton immensophone.

[EdFirth]

I'm probably wasting my time trying to explain this but My C sounds prettier than BBb observation is based on the following comparisons. Conn 3J/5J, Miraphone 186 C and BBb, Holton 345C and BBb, and King old style detachable C and BBb.The C's all had more overtones while the BBb's had more fundamental. If one can't hear a difference between the two that's fine but I was with the Disney Tubafours for two years in the two day band and we all could hear it.I'm only saying that while CCtuba is the current choice, BBb is still valid. Ed

[lgb&dtuba]

Wonder if Dubro rotor linkage ends will turn out to be a fad that catches on? I have them on the St. Pete 201N I bought back in December and they are really smooth and quiet. I don't know enough about St. Petes to know if they were upgrades or original though. I just know I'm glad they are there.

[rocksanddirt]

the idea that serious tuba musicians Do Not Play a BBb except for sousaphone in marching band.

First, that "fad" manifests itself primarily in North America; European orchestras have always been steadfast with the BBb tuba.

Secondly, some very well known tubists in major American orchestras have begun playing BBb tubas more and more in performances.

N.B. There are exceptions to every rule, including the examples listed above.

and that's why my smartass fad answer. the use of a particular instrument in a particular key should be clearly up the artist and director based on the performance that is needed for the work. But I've seen it on this board "you will not be taken seriously as a tuba artist if you own and play primarily a BBb"

[Dan Schultz]

Wonder if Dubro rotor linkage ends will turn out to be a fad that catches on? I have them on the St. Pete 201N I bought back in December and they are really smooth and quiet. I don't know enough about St. Petes to know if they were upgrades or original though. I just know I'm glad they are there.

The Dubro links on you 201N are aftermarket.

[Rick Denney]

How about QUIET VALVES? I like quiet valves but is that just a passing fad? It used to be when the valves got noisy, I'd take it to a music store and get a new set of felts installed for $20 or less. Now I'm hearing that if I don't spend $200 for noisy valves, my horn won't play well. Anyone else confused?

History will tell that tale.

Rick "whose valves are quiet" Denney

[Rick Denney]

Wonder if Dubro rotor linkage ends will turn out to be a fad that catches on? I have them on the St. Pete 201N I bought back in December and they are really smooth and quiet. I don't know enough about St. Petes to know if they were upgrades or original though. I just know I'm glad they are there.

Du-Bro links are not a fad. They are an engineering response to requirements by cheap, middle-aged fat guys like me.

They are not popular with the cool kids. In fact, they are entirely too pedestrian for the cool kids. The cool kids must have all-metal ball links that are polished and shiny (and expensive).

The use of ball links instead of S links was a fad that stuck--absolutely.

Rick "whose valves are quiet" Denney

[Art Hovey]

Re venting of valves, the Elephant wrote:

It was starting to become common on rotary valves in the late 1960s or early 1970s from all that I have heard. It took a lot longer for this to become common with piston valves by my observation. Of course, this follows with the popular dominance of rotors until about 1983, when the Yorkbrunner came out and having front pistons became "the mark of a serious tuba player"…

It seems to me that pistons were not commonly vented because the solution for rotors was so obvious that it masked the solution for pistons.

To me it was just the other way around. I first vented the 2nd and 3rd pistons on my 3-valve King BBb tuba in 1962, using a twist drill, after testing my theory first on a junk baritone horn. The procedure for pistons seemed obvious to me, but I was surprised about 10 years later when I read about venting rotary valves.

[iiipopes]

Why stop there? The 46K and 48K were both larger and in my opinion closer to a true 6/4 sousaphone.

Agreed. I had forgotten about the 46K & 48K.

Jupiter and Dynasty already make four valve sousaphones in large bores.

Yes, but they are of such thin metal that they sound like ****.

Martin is gone, as is Holton for the most part

Very regrettably. Great horns.

King is surviving along with Conn, so they would probably find a combination between the King Jumbo (32 inch bell) and the Conn Jumbo body size. Granted, they would be a bit heavier, but it would be aimed for high schools and colleges, or any spritely young lad that like large brass objects (like myself )

Yes, if they thought there was a market, and in typical cyborg fashion, you would be assimilated. Resistance is futile. After all, where did the Conn 5XJ series come from? A standard King BBb block and bugle with a pre-WWII King "Jumbo" Eb tuba bell, and a 5th valve tacked on just because. Now, if they had followed Matt Walters' actual design, it might sound fine. But they didn't, and it didn't; they tried to fix it; it still didn't; a friend of mine had M-W engineer a completely different design to fix it; it didn't, and he took it off, back to 4-valve.

[Gravid]

How about the TubeNet?

[bort]

Possibly too recent to tell, but I'm wondering where the PVAK will end up... (Hoping to NOT restart that discussion here... )

[sinfonian]

SOUSAPHONES

Shouldn't that read bell forward Sousaphones. The original rain catchers seem to be a fad that died (at least from a manufacturing prospective).

[windshieldbug]

I assume that this "sticks"... to your bumper

[MikeS]

Du-Bro links are not a fad. They are an engineering response to requirements by cheap, middle-aged fat guys like me.

They are not popular with the cool kids. In fact, they are entirely too pedestrian for the cool kids. The cool kids must have all-metal ball links that are polished and shiny (and expensive).

The cool kids don't need Du-Bros at all for their piston valves. A retailer recently remarked to me, when asked about rotary tuba sales, "If a kid comes in the store looking for a tuba, if it doesn't have four pistons and a thumb-actuated fifth valve, it's invisible."

By the way, the rest of you all still have your spent uranium bottom caps too, right? Mine not only allow my horn to slot better, the pleasant green glow helps me find my horn on a darkened stage. Best $1400 I ever spent, for sure.

[Kevin Hendrick]

I assume that this "sticks"... to your bumper

That's a fine lookin' sticker you have there, but I think I'd rather have it stuck to my car's bumper!

[Kevin Hendrick]

how 'bout "tweaking"...??

There ya go! That's what we need -- folks that don't try to "duck" the issues ...

[Kevin Hendrick]

YES!, the ultimate fad of undefinable, nebulous action of unaccountability!

The "TWEAK!" Behold the beauty of it's simplicity!

... and vice-versa ...

[Rick Denney]

They are an engineering response to requirements by cheap, middle-aged fat guys like me.

That "engineering response" was featured in the T.U.B.A. journal @ 25 years ago. A home-grown "fix" that will do, no doubt.

Really? I don't remember that article.

I first use Du-Bro ball links entirely by my own discovery--I went through a phase when I was messing with RC race cars. But I got the idea from the low-grade plastic ball links on my Sanders, which was new exactly 25 years ago, and had tiny 2-56 threaded-rod links. I replaced those with Du-Bro ball ends on 4-40 rod with brass tubing over the rod to make it look good. But it's such an obvious step for anyone who's even been in a RC hobby shop that I'm sure there were multiple simultaneous inventions.

Rick "who still has a few of those journals here and there" Denney

[Rick Denney]

...As I recall, there was an article that involved some links that were just the run-of-the-mill pop-on non-adjustable nylon (milky-white/clear) sockets over the threaded steel ball...a la the cheesy ones seen on "axial flow" F-attachment linkage.

Those are identical to the ones on my Sanders, except that the rod was just 2-56 threaded rod with a piece of aluminum tubing over it. They were downright mushy--I could make the bow out just by pushing down the paddle with my finger.

Rick "perhaps the first to use Du-Bro 4-40 ball links? Nahhh" Denney