Posted by Brent Herhold on January 14, 2003 at 18:22:55:
Never being much of an equipment freak, and having spent a lot of years playing, pretty much, outside the legit scene, I, somehow, missed the evolutionary process from the 2/3 combination fifth valve to the flatted whole step. The 2/3 combo (which I have on my 60's vintage 186) always seemed to make sense; it helped with the low end and was a useful 23 fingering alternate. What happened?
In a similar vein, when did the great interest in piston valves reappear? At the point I went into "legit hibernation" the rotary valve was certainly "it" with the European manufacturers.
Thanks for your insights.
Brent Herhold