Tuba after American bandmaster John Philip Sousa, resembles a hélicon with the bell pointed up (in the original models as the J. W. Pepper prototype and Sousa's concert instruments) and then curved to point forward (as developed by Conn and others). Some ancestors of the tuba, such as the military "bombardon", had unusual valve and bore arrangements compared to modern tubas. During the American Civil War, most brass bands used a branch of the brass family known as "saxhorns", which, by today's standards, have a narrower bore taper than tuba—the same as true cornets and baritones, but distinct from trumpets, euphoniums,
Hans Felix Husadel alto slide trombone. Tenor and baritone Tuba were modified so their bells faced forward, with the mechanics of the instruments adjusted to allow better handling while on the march. The traditional rotary valves on bass trumpets were also replaced with pump valves. The openings of the higher pitched brass instruments were narrowed to achieve greater sharpness and clarity of sound. The effect was to give Husadel's Luftwaffe bands a unique timbre with strong and varied middle voices. Husadel’s bands chose silver-plated instruments, giving them a modern look compared to the standard army and navy band instrument brass finishes. Husadel's Luftwaffe