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I would use it on my Adams if I could find a way to make it stay on.

I usually keep one on my Eastman to prevent a hint of after-ring and to protect the rim. But it has a tendency to come off when I am taking the tuba in and out of my gig bag, so it's currently off. I've found that, for me (and this may very well be tuba voo-doo), it helps center pitches by an extra 5% while also making the sound about 5% less resonant. Dillon's threw it in with the tuba when I bought it, and had they not, I wouldn't have bothered with getting one. It's a complete vinyl circle and not a straight piece of tubing.

have some...grew weary of 'em...have no idea where they are, now...

It's a thing that - decades ago - followed shortly after the "let's put something around the bell below the thumb ring to protect the lacquer" thing

Considering that these plastic rings don't stay in place, if someone really doesn't want their bell to touch the floor, a round piece of short-pile carpet (an inch in diameter larger than the bell) will probably fit in most any case or sack.

I bought a length of that to put on the Star bell for those venues where it would be on concrete otherwise. But I have no idea how to get a straight cut in it and it is just lying around somewhere in the garage. I would be amazed if it has any effect on the sound; it's just a piece of plastic.

We need a formula (come on engineers !!!) that takes into account the wave distortion at the end of the bell, the CFM's, the acoustics of the room, and all that jazz... oh yeah: and the $h!tt!ne$$ of me, the operator.

I have owned and otherwise played several instruments over the decades that had an inordinate amount of bell after-ring that was damped effectively by a length of tubing slit lengthwise and fitted over the bell rim without affecting tone or response of the instrument. I have also played instruments that did not need such an appliance.

For what it's worth, my Rudolf-Meinl Bayreuth BBb came with a vinyl bell rim tubing, and I've left it on. I never set it on its bell, though, so keeping it there isn't a problem. At the very least it serves as a tiny bumper should the bell rim contact something hard, like another bell.

I bought my Willson with one.

I have never noticed it affecting the sound in any way. All it does is protect the bell edge. Therefore I left it on and don't intend to remove it.

Would I look for one if I didn't already have one? No.

My Gnagey had a Sam-installed ring of vinyl tubing that stayed put over several years of ownership. It went with the horn when I sold it. I've since then thought about putting one on my other horns, but I'm leery of resting either of them on their bells. Dan Schneider had a little widget he made to slit the tubing in a straight line (easily the biggest challenge in making one) that was basically a block of wood with a hole drilled through it and an x-acto blade sticking into the hole.

I use them on all my tubas, entirely for bell protection purposes. On one of my horns, I initially noticed some effect on resonance, but not much. Never know where I’m going to play, and I’d rather prevent unnecessary scratches if I can help it. Have to take care of our tools!

My Besson 794 had tubing around the bell when I got it, but the fit was a bit loose and I had the idea that it rattled a bit sometimes so I removed it.
My latest acquisition, a modified Amati 451 F-tuba had it as well and pretty much the first thing I did was remove it, so when I saw this topic I instantly voted "nay" but reading more I decided to put it back on, it is a very tight fit and I think installing it removed a little ring in the bell.

I guess it helps to protect the bell as well, I am one of those barbarians that puts tuba's down on the bell

My MW25 that I bought around 1971 had a bell ring. It was supposedly there to prevent bell ringing. I took it off to try it out, and couldn't tell much difference. I put it back on, but it never wanted to stay on until I glued the ends together.

I bought a horn with some on the bell. When I removed it, the brass had pitted.

iiipopes wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 3:25 pm I have owned and otherwise played several instruments over the decades that had an inordinate amount of bell after-ring that was damped effectively by a length of tubing slit lengthwise and fitted over the bell rim without affecting tone or response of the instrument. I have also played instruments that did not need such an appliance.

So how did you slit that lengthwise? I tried once and the cut looked like a drunken snake's path.

https://www.thomannmusic.com/thomann_bell_ring_42cm.htm
I got mine from Thomann. Buy them a little on the small side, then heat with a blow dryer to make them stretch to fit.

Why don't you guys just fill a garbage can lid with Plasti Dip?

Mary Ann wrote: ↑Sat Aug 26, 2023 1:57 pm

iiipopes wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 3:25 pm I have owned and otherwise played several instruments over the decades that had an inordinate amount of bell after-ring that was damped effectively by a length of tubing slit lengthwise and fitted over the bell rim without affecting tone or response of the instrument. I have also played instruments that did not need such an appliance.

So how did you slit that lengthwise? I tried once and the cut looked like a drunken snake's path.

I'm tempted to say very carefully. But seriously folks....
I have a friend hold one end and I slowly slit it with an exacto knife. Remember to multiply the rim diameter as measured, not the nominal bell diameter, by pi to get the proper length, then add an inch where you cut it to allow for the tubing to shrink over time because you do have to hold some tension on the tubing to make a straight cut. Most vinyl tubing does have some imprinting on it, and that can function as a guide. I prefer the size 3/16 inch i.d. / 5/16 inch o.d. for most applications.

You can make a tubing slitter by drilling an appropriately-sized hole in a board, sawing down to the hole from the edge, then putting a utility knife blade into the saw kerf such that the blade is part way into the hole. If you clamp down on the kerf with a vise it all stays put. Then pull your tubing through the hole. It will be cut cleanly and accurately as long as you don't let the tubing twist when you feed the tubing in. This method beats trying to do it by hand and you won't lose any blood cells in the process.

I put slit vinyl tubing on all my tubas. I just hate the sound of the bell scraping on cement and I don't play well enough to be able to notice any difference in my sound. Some people I play with use carpet squares to set their horn down on.

re: "acoustical adjustments" - When I was a senior in high school a bazillion years ago we had brand new Miraphone BBb's. One of the section members was a real a-hole. One day he found out he could bounce the horn on it's bell. He did that one time too many and his bell wrinkled all the way up to the lead pipe. I wanted to kill him. When the band director found out, he was in immediately in study hall the rest of the semester and never spent another day in band. These days his parents would have whined and complained to the principle and admin would have caved, but back then the teacher was allowed to do the right thing.

To follow up my joke comment, I like the idea of those bands going around tuba bells, but they don't stay on my instruments. I guess I'm clumsy.