Originally Posted by
bbocaner
Thickness isn't the only factor in how easy something is to dent. It's possible to have very thick but very soft metal, and very thin but very hard. It's all in how it is worked.
Yes. But in addition to how it's worked, it's also the specific alloy and the type and thickness of the plating. My 1924 Buescher (at least double thickness sliver plated) tuba and 1965 Amati oval euph (lacquered brass) are made of noticeably more rigid metal than either my Mack Brass euph or Wessex tuba. And my red brass Cerveny tuba was at least as soft as the Chinese yellow brass instruments.
Thickness-based comparison of the performance of instruments likely makes objective sense if done for a given material of a given brand (so that thickness is the only -- or only major -- variable). But comparing performance across brands (where both metallurgy and how the metal is "worked" may differ, and in fact may not be fully known) has to be much less meaningful as a guide to anything.
Gary Merrill
Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)