My Meinl-Weston 182 Project

[the elephant]

Wow! THANKS!

[the elephant]

The rotor situation on my Kurath is sub-optimal, requiring a stupid linkage system to the 6th valve. When I ordered the custom-made 6th rotor from Miraphone I did not yet know where the levers would be located and whether it would require a push or pull action at the valve's stop arm. I pieced it together and changed paths midstream at least six times.

I've been planning to order the 5th and 6th rotary valve assemblies again, now that I actually know what I need. I decided to "orphan" the two valves by removing and reusing the slides on the new valves. I would use the two older valves in some other project. Someday.

But WAIT…

These two valves are "graduated" in bore (one is .769" and the other is .801") and they happen to fit PERFECTLY in the space I defined in red in the first photograph. So I plan on making a new 5th/6th section for the Kurath using custom-made valves that will be oriented in a manner that makes the linkages simpler. I will make new slides for them. And that means that the Kurath's entire 5th/6th section will be available for use on *this* tuba. I will have to disassemble the 5th slide and flip it over, but 6th is fine where it is.

He shoots… he SCORES!

[the elephant]

FAIL!

Well, maybe not completely…

… so…

PARTIAL FAIL!



I am not sure which of my variables varied on me, but this time it is soldered together using the same parts as I used before using only taped joints. I will admit that I did a super-half-fast job soldering the tube to 4th and the leadpipe to 1st. So if something is different it *must* be that.

I used the same mouthpiece, too, and it was taped on again as I do not have an adequate receiver. The one from the original leadpipe fits with the smaller Mirafone pipe as a bell to a clapper. <ting-a-ling, you gap is enormous, sir!>

The "fail" part: the timbre is significantly different; I do not like it. Also, the intonation is bad. It was nearly perfect with no valves, and once I made some adjustments to the parts set and the layout it came back into the "excellent" category.

So this leads me to suspect that the "good" version of this horn (these parts bonded with tape) had some sort of magical mystery leak that made stuff line up in a way that it cannot do with a rotor stack in that location if it is properly installed.

Or…

… it is not properly installed. (Whoops…)

I have a lot to do, so this project, already on the back burner, has to be taken off the back burner, put in Tupperware, and stuffed into the very back of the refrigerator like an old casserole. I *will* get to it, but not for at least another month.

I plan on cleaning up some damage to the stock leadpipe, reinstalling the receiver, straightening a lot of tweaked stuff (from having been dropped at some time in the past?), and cleaning up the last of the burnt-to-F lacquer that could not be removed with stripper, and then re-soldering the valves to the MTS. At that time I will look at BOTH leadpipes to see how they play. I will also find an adequate receiver for my Kurath and put the current receiver back on this tiny 180 leadpipe.

In a fit of technician ennui, I may make a new small half for the MW two-piece leadpipe that is a bit smaller. The one that comes on this tuba is sort of stupid-large, IMHO. I have to measure it, but it looks as though there is very little taper in that whole section: it starts too big and ends a little bit bigger, and then tapers more or less normal to the valves. I dislike most MW tubas, and I usually decide that a lot of what I dislike is in the leadpipes. Different strokes, dontchaknow…

So there is still a chance that this could be a good musical instrument, but that chance is now a smaller one, based on this one experience.

[YorkNumber3.0]

.

[the elephant]

It is waaaaay shorter than an Alex F tuba. Like six or seven full inches shorter. And the bell profile does not match very well, either. I suspect this is a one-off for them to answer the YFB-621 craze of the late 1980s.

This little tuba is SMALLER than a YFB-621/YBB-103.

[cjk]

lol at "half-fast". Going to re-use that.

[cjk]

I remember back when these came out, someone told me that they were built around an Alexander bell and bottom bow. I bet this will a really nice tuba when it’s all ironed out.

That was the 2182, a different tuba than the 182.

[bort2.0]

lol at "half-fast". Going to re-use that.

There was a very short lived Comcast internet commercial a few years ago, with a family or turtles, who were complaining about their half-fast internet service. Again... Didn't last long. Wonder if the FCC had something to say about it!

[bloke]

I suspect the main problem is that it needs to be fixed by a fixer, rather than teched by a tech.

[cjk]

lol at "half-fast". Going to re-use that.

There was a very short lived Comcast internet commercial a few years ago, with a family or turtles, who were complaining about their half-fast internet service. Again... Didn't last long. Wonder if the FCC had something to say about it!

one of these?

[the elephant]

I suspect the main problem is that it needs to be fixed by a fixer, rather than teched by a tech.

Perhaps if you could learn to spell and pronounce "tubist" correctly your deeply held shame of being called a technician would abate somewhat. I am a technician, and a damned good one and proud to be called one. I am also a "tubist" as a piano player is a pianist. However, just like prayer in Matthew 6:5-6, I pretty much keep these opinions to myself rather than constantly trying to shame others into being more like me. Not once has it ever occurred to me to break someone's balls over something so trivial.

You keep being you, Joe. You say potato, I say technician and tubist. And I will allow you to continue unmolested to say the things you do in the manner that you choose while you respect me and everyone else in the same manner.

[YorkNumber3.0]

.

[bloke]

The problem with text boxes is that there are no facial features (other than optional crappy little emojis), and sometimes self-deprecating humor (as above) and self-sarcasm don't shine through past the mostly-mechanical letters/words/sentences. Above was just such as case. The traditional thing, I suppose, would be to apologize, but - rather than that - please just re-read my very self-deprecating and self-sarcastic post for the inadequately-displayed intent indicated.

Finally, if you get that bugle to workin' right, you've run circles around the Germans.

[the elephant]

Nor can my winking response be adequately communicated via "emojis"…

Well, these two are fairly adequate, I guess…

[the elephant]

Jason kindly sent me the three mounting posts and screws that go with the 183 lever set he sent me earlier for possible cannibalization for the Kurath project. (They were so nice that I decided to clean them up and use them on some other project, which likely will be this one.)

Thank you, sir!

[arpthark]

Jason kindly sent me the three mounting posts and screws that go with the 183 lever set he sent me earlier for possible cannibalization for the Kurath project. (They were so nice that I decided to clean them up and use them on some other project, which likely will be this one.)

Thank you, sir!

Jason is the man!

[bloke]

' too clean...I declare them to be fakes !!!

[York-aholic]

' too clean...I declare them to be fakes !!!

Damn, you saw through my ruse.

I sent him brand new Chinese parts…

[the elephant]