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I just discovered that with the long 5th, and with it right for low F with 5-2-3, I also get a nice C# and F# with 5-1-2. It's just a little flatter than 2-4. Now I'll stop wishing for a 2nd valve trigger for a little while.

And 12345 is a nice smooth soft pedal CC, for when you need that.

bort2.0 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 6:15 pm And 12345 is a nice smooth soft pedal CC, for when you need that.

One can also lean on that combo really hard and sound something like a contrabass trombone, i.e. ripping sheet metal.

matt g wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 7:59 pm

bort2.0 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 6:15 pm And 12345 is a nice smooth soft pedal CC, for when you need that.

One can also lean on that combo really hard and sound something like a contrabass trombone, i.e. ripping sheet metal.

Just like I said, nice and smooth ...

If there is a need to play very low and really well in tune - without lipping or frantically yanking on slides - the 4+2 set up is always best, and a right hand thumb trigger the upper slides is probably also a good idea.
Assuming that 5 is a whole tone in tune with the fourth valve depressed, and that 6 is a semitone in tune with the fourth valve depressed (basically: manually operated “double tuba” valves)
564 is always going to be better than 234.
6234 is always going to be better than either 5124 or 534
5634 is always going to be hundreds of light years better than 5234.
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I find that an adjusted semitone fifth valve – if no sixth valve – is more useful on a B-flat tuba than an adjusted whole tone valve.

Of course, it would cost more to set more tubas this way, but - with so many composers using keyboards with tone generators (that can play tuba 32nd notes in the double low range), and then writing that stuff for players – perhaps it’s time for the top-level instruments to evolve, again…(??)

Early 90's aggressive "retail" sales competition stateside saw Miraphone doing a lot to fuel the battle for stoont dollars. This included design upgrades and tweeks, the three that stick in my mind are flat whole step 5th valve, the lifted lead pipe, and the inch or so added to the bell diameter. I am not sure when they started using heavier brass for a sales angle on the school market. None were unique ideas but by the early 90's these all became standard in the 186 and 188 tubas through the effort of one sales guy in particular


the old site archives might better fix the date.

The GG or FF whole tone length 5th rotor circuit (on modern-era Miraphone tubas) makes it easier for people (who've played other makes) to move over to Miraphone.

If someone is stubborn and wants the old-style length, it's not that expensive to buy tubing/crooks, and built something that additionally long that inserts into the 5th circuit outside slide tubes.

One thing's for certain:

You can add to the new-style to get the old-style length, but you can't take away from the old-style length (without tearing it out) to get the new-style length.