Valve clearance/compression/"tightness"?
So, over the past year and a half or so, I've owned three different euphoniums - from Willson, to Geneva, to finally settling on the Adams E1 I fell in love with at ITEC last summer. All three have been great, if different, horns in their own right, and one striking difference in all of them I've noticed - and been curious about - is the amount of room or clearance the pistons have inside their casings - how tightly they "fit", I guess. I never thought much about it in my Willson, but once I started playing on different horns I began to really notice the difference.
The Geneva and the Adams seem to be on opposite ends of this spectrum, Geneva having fairly "loose" fitting valves and Adams valves being extremely tight (even after being broken in), with Willson being somewhere in between the two.
I'm curious about how varying levels of valve tightness/clearance might affect a horn, either beneficially or detrimentally.
A few uneducated guesses/observances on my end:
- More clearance seems to lead to more water coming out the bottoms and even up around the stems of the valves. I used a grime gutter in my Willson, but haven't had a single drop come out of the Adams valves (although the water keys get plenty of exercise).
- Would more clearance possibly be a design choice on the part of the instrument manufacturer, meant to give the valves faster action? If this is the case, I guess the flip side would be that it could lead to unpredictable "sticking" if not pressed down perfectly straight?
- Tighter valves SEEM to need more frequent oiling, but that might be in my head.
Does anyone else notice any of this stuff, in these brands or others? I know not every manufacturer makes their own valves, so brand-to-brand, it probably depends on where they do get their valve sets from.
I know I'm probably thinking too deeply into all this, but it's fun to just ponder on things like this, and honestly what else to I have to do in quarantine???
Sean Kissane
Low Brass Specialist, Paige's Music
Principal Euphonium, Indianapolis Brass Choir
Principal Euphonium, Crossroads Brass Band