Question about 4-valve CC tubas

[pjv]

I have never ever played a tuba yet where I could play a half-step above the pedal, in tune with ease, using 1234 on a non-compensating four banger. (Sure, there are always exceptions.)

Going the 2 step 3rd valve might be the way to go.

Has anybody ever tried using a 3 step 4th valve slide?

I remember my very first CC tuba was a Conn that came with a normal 4th slide plus an extra 3 step 4th slide. I've no recollection of the practicality of this slide. I was very young and it was my first CC tuba experience. My teacher wanted me to get used to the standard mash combinations (fair enough) so I never really experimented with this slide.
Now that I'm older I often think back to that neglected 3-step 4th tuning slide and wonder if we could have been happy together...

[bort]

Seems to me that a lot of playas fuss over issues they never they never/rarely ever encounter in their real life of producing actual fart noises.

Yeah, yeah, I'm an instigator for this one. But I think it was an interesting conversation, FWIW. What made me wonder was watching some German and Austrian brass ensemble videos on YouTube. Lots of different rotary F tuba setups with various slide triggers and stuff.

Personally, I don't like pushing/pulling slides, and if there's a way to do that with my fingers and not my entire hand, that seems ideal. To paraphrase Joe, things are easier when your left hand is focused on holding up the tuba.

Also FWIW, I've never enjoyed moving around the 4th valve slide on a Miraphone 186/188. I don't find it all that easy to deal with "on the fly", especially not compared to when the 4th slide is closer to the top bow.

Nothing wrong with 4-valve CC tubas, I've owned a few and it's never been a huge problem. Just curious.

[PaulMaybery]

At least it has been done once. If this is that to which you are referring.
A German brass manufacturer and general repair shop.

I suppose a good tech in this country could build that for you for either RH or LH.

I have the same thing, more or less, on the Wessex/Jin Bao Cimbasso. albeit LH.

Go to the section marked WORKSHOP

http://www.josefgopp.de/index.php?id=27&L=1" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

[PaulMaybery]

Thanks for the two much clearer shots. From looking at the lever, (and where the pivot point is) it appears that there is about a 3 to 1 ratio and that about an inch of movement at the thumb will yield 3 inches of travel on the slide. I wonder how stiff that might be.

[bort]

Yep, that's exactly what I imagined!

[PaulMaybery]

I recall seeing somewhere a scissor device where when the 1st v was pulled or pushed, the main slide went out and in respectively, thus doubling the effective length.

[bort]

I recall seeing somewhere a scissor device where when the 1st v was pulled or pushed, the main slide went out and in respectively, thus doubling the effective length.

That sounds both very cool and very complicated.

FWIW, one of the most fun tubas I've played in recent memory was a brand new gold brass 4-valve Miraphone 186 CC. If felt, sounded, and played like a "sports car" tuba.

[PaulMaybery]

Actually, the scissors idea is rather simple, with what is more or less a "see-saw" in between the 1st valve slide. When one end goes up - the other end goes down. A spring and stop-rod would sort of put some regulation on how far the travel goes and if it returns to it's "intune" spot.