Posted by Jay Bertolet on December 19, 2001 at 08:44:42:
In Reply to: Re: CC or BB? that is the qq posted by Charlie on December 18, 2001 at 19:37:14:
I wouldn't argue with you too much Charlie. I'd agree that most of what you say is true. Most manufacturers take a great deal of pride in their product and they don't intentionally create sub-quality products just because of the key of the instrument.
That said, I can site one example of something you didn't mention that does go on. Manufacturers still try to save money in the production process. Any good business always tries to find new ways to make things without spending as much money doing so and still maintaining the level of quality. One way that some manufacturers are doing that today with tubas is by making two piece leadpipes. I have a student who brought to his first lesson a brand new tuba. This instrument is really gorgeous, a silver plated rotary valve BBb that really looks sharp. The horn also plays really nicely. But in examining the leadpipe, I found a ferrule in the middle of the pipe. The only time I'd ever seen anything like this before (except on convertible tubas) was when there had been some sort of damage to the leadpipe and the ferrule was added as a sort of patch. That seemed unlikely in this case since the tuba was brand new. I told the student to inquire into what that ferrule was doing there and I did some checking on my own.
It turns out that leadpipes are particularly expensive to create. While most of the tuba's parts can be hydraulically created, the leadpipe cannot. The combinations of angles and turns required is something that the current machines cannot produce. As a result, leadpipes have to be drawn by hand, a slow and expensive procedure. Unless you produce them in two halves. The machines can do that. All it takes is a quality installation that lines up the halves properly and the horn is just as good. At least that is how it was explained to me. Of course, I can't help wondering if the horn would play the same if the leadpipe were all in one piece. Also, I have yet to see a two piece leadpipe in a CC tuba.
The bottom line, as far as I'm concerned, is that a manufacturer can make BBb tubas of just as high a quality as CC tubas or any other instrument they make. It is only a matter of deciding to do so. I think the only differences you'll see today between tubas is differences in the quality of the manufacturing process. Such differences are not necessarily limited to a specific key of tuba. I think they are more indicative of the level of committment a manufacturer has to producing a quality product. Spend your money accordingly!
My opinion for what it's worth...