Middle school kids are playing these?

At the risk of repeating myself, who o why do band directors keep on buying these not so great horns when, for the same or less money, they can buy Miraphone 186s?

bloke wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2024 10:50 pm That seems like it might fit a newer-style King B-flat, a Conn 5XJ C, or an Eastman 4/4 C...(??)

King 2341 has a 20” bell, so not sure if that would go. Probably pretty tight if it does.

When I was a college tuba major back in the Dark Ages, I went to a small college with only one brass instructor. He was a trombone guy, and did not make me switch from BBb. When I got my master’s degree, the tuba instructor was a BBb guy and also did not make me switch. So I’ve been a BBb guy all my ...

Well, you could consider doing what I do which is to put water keys on the upper bows, tilting the horn to the left, and emptying them. I think that would be a great idea! Putting water keys on first and third would be easy. One problem, though, would be the 2nd valve slide. The pull ring is where ...

I've been known to install water keys on places like that 90° elbow which comes out of the right side of the number three valve casing. 3rd valve doesn’t seem to be the problem though. It’s worst on 2nd followed by 1st. All of the valves have 90 degree elbows. I think it’s because they used the same ...

arpthark wrote: ↑Fri Nov 01, 2024 11:32 am Can you post a photo of your horn, @DonO.? I looked online and all the pics of that model don't have a clear shot of the valve section.

Here’s a close up of the valve section.

Looking for some hints on how to solve this from folks who have had similar problems. The water collection issues with my King 2341 are relatively easy to deal with, having learned to do the “King Dump”. It’s the Kanstul 902-3B that’s more of a problem. I will be playing along, and after 20-30 minute ...

Update update update! I sent my tuba’s measurements to the good folks at Cronkhite. I have been on pins and needles wondering which pattern of theirs they were going to recommend. What pattern would be my horn’s measurement twin? I have my answer. It is…drum roll please!… Gronitz 125! This is what th ...

It's pretty easy to drop things off at the stage door, get them inside to a reasonably safe spot, and then go park. Not in my case. One of my bands practices and performs at a downtown city university. I have to park in a city multi level parking garage and then walk a couple of blocks. Sometimes I ...

Linkages have been replaced, right? Mirafones (with an “f”) of that era would have had S linkages, yes? Nice looking horn. If I were buying it I would want to know what’s going on behind the leather guards. At that price I predict it won’t last long at all. I’ve seen 4 valve ones in much worse shape ...

I think what's really frustrating to people who try to cater to tuba players (with bags that come closer to fitting nicely) is that there are so many shapes and sizes, and every time they go to the trouble to create another pattern, that pattern is not ordered again soon, but yet another size that ...

I have experience with both, but only from back when Glenn was still making the bags. Does the current iteration of Cronkhite really do custom-fit work, or do they just have several templates that are just close enough? I am still a little murky on that. Overall, both are good, but the quality of ...

Title says it all. I’ve decided that the only way I’m going to get a gig bag that fits my Kanstul 902-3B correctly is to have one custom made. A Messina or a Cronkhite would be approximately the same money. Which would you choose, and why? Especially valuable would be opinions of folks who have exp ...

I have never understood why band directors keep buying these when they can have Miraphone 186s for the same money or less.

When I answered this post, I only gave advice about getting the horn working. I totally ignored the finish part. I love all these posts about restoring badly tarnished silver plate. They remind me why, throughout my playing career, I have ALWAYS said “NO!” to the seductive call of silver horns! It’s ...

The most important thing is to make sure everything that’s supposed to move actually does move. That’s slides and valves of course. I’d start with valves, make certain the tops unscrew and the valves can be removed- carefully! If they can be taken out then a careful cleaning with warn water and mild ...

A long time ago I had one of the “Baltimore Brass” style of wooden stand where you rest the tuba on its bell but it’s held in place by the wood and it’s carpeted to protect the bell edge. It was a copy somebody made, not the real Baltimore Brass. Nevertheless, it worked like a charm and I wish I stil ...

Yes, there are obviously some commonalities, but whether the Beatles were trying to purposefully reference a 500 year old musical style is, to me, doubtful. I would be surprised to learn that those young lads who spent so much time and energy studying and learning to imitate American blues ...

Not that close really. There is a higher melody (“cantus firmus”) with lower harmony parts, but those parts don’t stick exclusively to the major sixth-perfect fourth structure of fauxbourdon. Additionally the harmony parts sound decidedly modern, with major 7th chords and such that would NEVER have b ...