Posted by Rick Denney on April 15, 2003 at 14:08:04:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: How to stuff a PT-6 posted by Mark F. on April 15, 2003 at 13:47:57:
Mark, the difference is that what they are noticing may be the renewed or altered expections you had when you made the change. Those expectations change your mental concept in powerful, but not always obvious ways.
When I tested the Monsterweights carefully, using an unbiased observer (both listening and playing), I found that there were indeed differences, but that the differences could not be determined to be better or worse for any given player. We thought they were an improvement for me, but the unbiased observer thought they limited his flexibility somewhat. (He can also play good golf with forged clubs, but I need those "performance enhancing" perimeter-weighted clubs to feel like I'm in control.) And something like Monsterweights will produce a much larger effect than lacquer. But that is my argument with you, not Sean's, heh, heh.
Whatever differences there might be are unimportant, and that is Sean's point. Whatever differences might result from stripping the instrument won't be able to be determined as being better or worse by anyone out front, even if they are hearable at all (which I doubt). Now, if you as the player think it will be better, then better it might be, at least for a while until you take your expectation for granted and your playing becomes yours again.
I once tried out the King tuba that my section mate bought, and it had a completely different sound with me playing it. I'm not sure how much he likes my sound, but I think he was expecting my sound to be something different (and more like what he hears in his head when he plays it) when I played the King. After hearing me toot it, he said, "You really do have your own characteristic sound, don't you?" The Rick influence was much stronger than the King vs. York Master influence (or even the King vs. Holton influence).
More's the pity.
Rest assured that you are just as good a tuba player on a lacquered Piggy as on your unlacquered one, even if you can hear a difference.
Rick "thinking Mark and Sean are arguing two different points" Denney