The Tuba with the Best Spit Valve

[vespa50sp]

I'll have to say, the La Sete that I just bought has the best single spit valve of any Tuba I've ever played. It's really irritating to pull slides to empty spit.

Am I the only one who appreciates this simple pleasure?

[bort]

As in placement, or design?

[bort]

I once had a 2nd spit valve installed on the back part of a horizontal tuning slide "pretzel". Great idea, no more spinning!

[vespa50sp]

As in placement, or design?

As in there is one spit valve on the horn and all of the spit empties out at once.

[vespa50sp]

As in placement, or design?

As in there is one spit valve on the horn and all of the spit empties out at once.

Simple pleasures....

[bisontuba]

After market 'Pollard Water Key'.....

[Ace]

My Weril 3/4 CC tuba has FOUR water keys, one on each valve slide. I have to be careful though------one empties on my tux pants.

Ace

[vespa50sp]

After market 'Pollard Water Key'.....

Humm.. never have seen one before. kind of a neat design.

[The Big Ben]

I'm a reconstructed french horn player. I pull slides. All of 'em. I sometimes pour water out of the lead pipe. I could never get it all out through a water key.

[Dan Schultz]

I'll have to say, the La Sete that I just bought has the best single spit valve of any Tuba I've ever played. It's really irritating to pull slides to empty spit.

Am I the only one who appreciates this simple pleasure?

Is this the first European-style rotary tuba you've owned?

[PaulMaybery]

IMHO - most waterkeys on tubas are two small considering the amount of water that accumulates. I notice this particularly in the aftermarket: Amato and Saturn. I love the Saturn as it responds from a push on the ring from any direction. On the Amato, it must be pushed directly. The Pollard is the same action as the Amato with a differently shaped barrel. There is one called the Joy, which is always open and just continuously drips. It has a wick in the opening made from a metal mesh. A tube or a container can be attached and the water diverted or collected. Or, it can just drip.

On front action pistons, (at least those that are 90 degrees-vertical and not angled) there is a problem with the way the tuning slide circuits exit the pistons. When the horn is held, it generally tilts to the left. The water then runs into the circuit and can not easily return from whence it came, so as to exit by the water key on the main slide. It sits there and gurgles. There are two methods I have found that work for evacuating the water.

1. While depressing all 4 pistons, tilt the tuba to your right. Release the pistons, and tilt the horn to the left and depress the the pistons again. This should put the water in the main slide. If you get the tilting angles right it will work. This method will be all fouled up if you happen to invert the tuba and sit it on its bell. In that case the following usually works.

3. Without depressing any valves, while holding the tuba horizontally, dip the bell of the tuba to your left and rotate it away from you while at the same time returning to upright. This should get the water on the side of the bottom tuning crook with the water key. (or pull the slide and drain). For the first slide water at this point, repeat procedure # 1.

This is the one peeve I have of front pistons. On a rotary, the exit path for the water is a direct shot from the lead pipe through the valves to the tuning crook at the bottom. Pretty cool actually.

In the meantime, I would like to see manufacturers make larger versions of the Amato, Pollard and Saturn water keys. The problem is akin to prostate issues.

[vespa50sp]

Is this the first European-style rotary tuba you've owned?

Yes. I thought about that after I posted. All the water flowing out might be a result of the fundamental design of the horn.

I'm pulling a couple of slides on my piston Besson at least once a rehersal, which has two spit valves.

On my little Eb helicon, I've discovered that I can blow any accumulation out of the single water key if I push down all the valves and blow through the horn.

[scottw]

In the meantime, I would like to see manufacturers make larger versions of the Amato, Pollard and Saturn water keys. The problem is akin to prostate issues.

That is something I never thought about!
Very apt!

[PaulMaybery]

In the meantime, I would like to see manufacturers make larger versions of the Amato, Pollard and Saturn water keys. The problem is akin to prostate issues.

That is something I never thought about!
Very apt!

A yes! Aging is fun, ain't it old friend?
We get smarter, at least we think we do, and then things get all plugged up.
Maybe I need to take an ultrasonic bath sometime. Now that would give new definition to a "hot" tub.