Posted by Rick Denney on October 23, 2003 at 13:41:32:
In Reply to: Re: Re: ..an old approach to tuba transport posted by henry on October 23, 2003 at 13:10:07:
I'm finding that I'm gravitating more and more to tubas with bells that have a very fast taper between the bottom bow and the bell throat. It's the only structural difference between my York Master and many other tubas of the same size and configuration, and I think the YM might well sound better (and it already sounds pretty darn good) with a bell of greater taper.
In fact, I'm of the opinion that the taper of the bell on the YM is constrained by the bell collar. A collar in a fast taper is quite a construction project and requires fairly thick and heavy parts. Other B&M instruments of similar vintage have the faster bell taper, and they have a warmer sound.
In the image above, look at the taper of the bell stack right around where the attachment ring is or would be on the Holton versus the Conn. The Holton has a larger throat right where the bell starts to flare, though it is similar closer to the bottom bow. It may well be that this taper is part of the reason the Holton plays softly so much better, and why it is more responsive. My little Yamaha F tuba has the same characteristic--and the same bell-stack shape.
This may be the reason why removable bells don't seem to be as popular. They are hard to do on tubas with very large throats (compared to other dimensions) and fast tapers. All the tubas I've seen with detachable bells seem to have less taper right at the base of the throat where the attachment ring lives.
Rick "just guessing" Denney