Posted by Rick Denney on August 13, 2001 at 19:54:23:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Gronitz double tuba (?) posted by Frederick J. Young on August 13, 2001 at 19:27:58:
Even the York full double that is pictured in Stauffer should not weigh 84 pounds. If the interchangeable-bell York is 25 pounds as a four-valve tuba, then we can probably assume that the outer branches are, say, ten pounds of that. If you had another complete set of valve tubing, you'd add at most 15 more pounds, with maybe another coupld of pounds for the switch valves. That would yield a tuba of about 40+ pounds, which is still heavy. But if you started with a tuba that was 18 pounds to begin with, like, say, a Miraphone, then you should be able to keep the instrument under 30 pounds, which is as light as my 4/4 York Master. I don't think weight is the issue.
I know at least one professional symphony player who at one time at least used a Gronitz full double tuba in F and CC, and I've heard of others. These were not in the style of your extra-tall version, which you'll admit is significantly more complicated than a basic full double. Even so, most of those players no longer play such instruments, and I wonder why.
Rick "thinking intonation is only part of the picture" Denney