Posted by Chuck(G) on July 18, 2001 at 11:31:52:
In Reply to: Damping posted by Philip Moore on July 18, 2001 at 10:52:26:
I think it depends on the tuba and the bell. On a couple of tubas I've worked on, lifting the leadpipe from the bell caused an annoying "ring" to the bell after certain notes. Soldering the leadpipe down took care of it by altering the resonant frequency of the system. On another tuba, lifting the leadpipe seemed actually to improve response somewhat.
Now, this is all from the perspective of the guy behind the leadpipe. What I don't know is if a listener would notice much one way or the other, although I'd think that an after-ring would be pretty audible.