Conical valve sections

[jtm]

Some tubas have valve sections where the size of the tubing increases from one end to the other, to avoid a long stretch of cylindrical tubing when valves are used. Some of these tubas are even well regarded.

Has anyone bothered to do this with euphoniums or flugelhorns? If so, were they good?

[UncleBeer]

Some tubas have valve sections where the size of the tubing increases from one end to the other, to avoid a long stretch of cylindrical tubing when valves are used. Some of these tubas are even well regarded.

Has anyone bothered to do this with euphoniums or flugelhorns? If so, were they good?

Valve loops will always be cylindrical. You still add a long stretch of straight pipe when you add a valve loop.

[jtm]

There are those weird “TruBore” “Constant Bore” instruments from Couturier that are tapered through the valve tubing, with no adjustment slides, and the valve bore is tapered. But, now the bugle is seeing differing rates of taper which probably causes as many problems as it solves.

Correcting myself…

https://www.rjmartz.com/horns/Couturier_056/

[jtm]

Valve loops will always be cylindrical. You still add a long stretch of straight pipe when you add a valve loop.

Yes. Sorry, I should have said “avoid an even longer stretch of cylindrical tubing when multiple valves are used.”

[UncleBeer]

Valve loops will always be cylindrical. You still add a long stretch of straight pipe when you add a valve loop.

Yes. Sorry, I should have said “avoid an even longer stretch of cylindrical tubing when multiple valves are used.”

When you depress the 4th valve alone, you've just added around 5 feet of straight tubing. Straight tubing.

[UncleBeer]

There are those weird “TruBore” “Constant Bore” instruments from Couturier that are tapered through the valve tubing, with no adjustment slides, and the valve bore is tapered. But, now the bugle is seeing differing rates of taper which probably causes as many problems as it solves.

Correcting myself…

https://www.rjmartz.com/horns/Couturier_056/

That horn sure seems to have a whole lotta straight pipe for a "constant taper" instrument. Perhaps it's a nuance which is beyond me.

Couturier4.jpg (97.99 KiB) Viewed 1458 times

[jtm]

I guess this is my punishment for adding a few words of context for anyone who wandered into this thread without knowing the term “conical valve section”.

[jtm]

I bought a miraphone rotor euphonium once, and every valve was a different bore size

[jtm]

I bought a miraphone rotor euphonium once, and every valve was a different bore size

Was it well behaved? Or did that mess up the tuning? Or are rotor euphoniums usually a tuning mess anyway, so you couldn’t tell?

[UncleBeer]

I bought a miraphone rotor euphonium once, and every valve was a different bore size

Was it well behaved? Or did that mess up the tuning? Or are rotor euphoniums usually a tuning mess anyway, so you couldn’t tell?

It wouldn't be the tuning which would be screwed up, but the overall resonance and efficiency because of "early reflections". Not optimal.

[donn]

Has anyone bothered to do this with euphoniums or flugelhorns? If so, were they good?

Yes, Couturier made a whole line of brass instruments, including a euphonium.


Were they good? Not good enough, I guess.

[jtm]

I thought it was a good euphonium, but the low range stank, ironically enough

This was after I removed the 4th valve for a different project