497-B Miraphone

[bort2.0]

Point taken thanks.
And yes the tuner is often a part of my practicing.

As everyone (along with everyone's cousins, aunts, uncles, and inlaws) knows by now, I
- shortened #1
- lengthened #3
- lengthened #5
- shortened the main slide
- lengthened the #4 lower slide bow (so-as it's middle-of-three #4 slides wouldn't require such a pull)

on a "sister" model.

Yeah yeah, but the 2nd valve?? That mofo was PERFECT!

[bloke]

Point taken thanks.
And yes the tuner is often a part of my practicing.

As everyone (along with everyone's cousins, aunts, uncles, and inlaws) knows by now, I
- shortened #1
- lengthened #3
- lengthened #5
- shortened the main slide
- lengthened the #4 lower slide bow (so-as it's middle-of-three #4 slides wouldn't require such a pull)

on a "sister" model.

Yeah yeah, but the 2nd valve?? That mofo was PERFECT!

I'm pulling the #2 slide out farther than with most instruments...something ranging from 5/8" - 3/4"...(well...to me, that's quite a bit).

[Three Valves]

Aren’t really all tubas goofy looking?

Yes, but not all equally funny looking!

[bloke]

goofy-looking...yes, but so are motorcycles, YET some of them cause mouths to water...and whether-or-not they're particularly "good".

[pjv]

Miraphone can take care of me as of mid June.
For me one of the busiest months of the year.

Bloke, how did your comparison bell measurements turn out?

[bloke]

I'll check this out today. I was still cutting tree limbs and writing up school repair quotes

I hope you can get away from work to go see Miraphone.

[pjv]

This tuba is by the way amazing. Why did I wait so long to invest in a real top notch tuba?

Another question: since I am going to Miraphone, should I have them put the bell in so that there’s no gap? There’s even a point where I can feel a bit of space between the underside of the bell and the connecting ferrel.

[bloke]

Whenever I see a "no lacquer" instrument of a make known to routinely lacquer new instruments, I always wonder "who did what to it?"

The simple answer is "yes"...I would ask them to check over the entire instrument, and ask them to show you whatever they find.
If any "things that they might find" are too expensive or time-consuming to repair on a day-trip, at least you'll know about those things.

[pjv]

[pjv]

I'm also considering a new mouthpipe which, for me personally, has several advantages.
-water drains through tuba towards mts waterkey, instead of hanging out in the mouthpipe
-tuba can rest on the chair instead of on my legs
-tuba bell will face more upright which improvs the center of balance.
-both arms will be lower because the tuba is now lower.

Right now I can only play the tuba on my legs with the bell facing towards the ceiling at about 80 degrees. So it basically hangs towards my left hand and even with anti-slip shelf liner on my lap it still slowly falls to the left.
I really like having a tuba which, without too much physical intervention, balances more or less on it's own.

Lots to do there at Miraphone. I think I'll ask if they want an extra day. My wife's going with me so we can check out Munich together will we wait!

[bloke]

I don't know anything about Miraphone's business, and I hope they're willing to give you as much time in one piece as you request, but they may not be able to spend that much time on a repair at once. I have nine sousaphones that Anderson will probably be replating for me, and they've made it very clear that - even if they are all prepped and ready to plate - that they can only manage a couple per month...So I'm going to have to leave all nine of them up there and wait several months for all of them to be done.

[pjv]

Good point. I have already considered "no" as an answer, so I'm thinking how I will set up my e-mail.
It does however make sense to re-solder the bell the day they replace the lead pipe.
Fingers crossed.

[Doc]

I’m anxious to see (and hear) the final results!

[pjv]

My appointment is on July 17 & 18.
They'll build me a longer mts, vent the 5th (why only four were vented, who knows), and maybe build me a new mouthpipe if they think the can do it. For this they'd really need the 2nd day.
They won't try refitting the bell.
Oh well. Maybe when they see it their pride will kick in.

I'm almost sure it's their work and not something that happened form a repair. The bell doesn't sit all they way in the ferrel. If it had been removed after it'd been built (for whatever reason) I'd expect to see some evidence of this at the ferrel itself and the braces, including those on the mouthpipe. Nothing on this instrument suggests removal of any kind.

Having said this, I don't do repairs, so it's only a guess.

[bloke]

I'm not there, but - when instruments are here, and there is no finish on them - I always suspect some sort of major disassembly and repair. The Miraphone people will be able to tell.

[P@rick]

Right now I can only play the tuba on my legs with the bell facing towards the ceiling at about 80 degrees. So it basically hangs towards my left hand and even with anti-slip shelf liner on my lap it still slowly falls to the left.

Do you mean that facing the ceiling is 0 degrees and you have the tuba tilted 80 degrees or is facing the sealing 90 degrees and you tilt it to 80 degrees (so 10 degrees tilt?). In the last case i would give the tuba a chance with the current leadpipe. With all the tuba's I had in my hands I also needed time to acclimatize to it and find the sweet spot to hold it comfortably. Changing the leadpipe so extreme could also result in other (not yet known) disadvantages...but this is just my opinion and everyone has one

P.s. if you still don't like the tuba after these modifications...i will consider to relieve you from it without any additional cost...

[pjv]

If your head is at 12 o’clock then most players point their bells to either 2 or 10 o’clock (depending on if you play front valved or top loader).
No matter what I do, the tuba slides eventually from 80 degrees to 75 etc.
The beauty of a tuba which is in balance (for this tuba that’s with the bell pointing at around 12 o’clock) is that I’m not engaging my upper torso muscles nearly as much and the legs not at all since the tuba sits on the chair.

If the upper torso and legs aren’t engaged there’s then less restriction to any and all muscles around the lungs.
And by not using all these muscles for hold up a heavy tuba there’s more energy left for playing.
And as I mentioned I hate getting water dumped on my shirt from the mouthpipe.

If I hate the sound for whatever reason then I’ve wasted my money and I’ll have Miraphone put on the old mouthpipe.
I trust them enough to do this.

[bloke]

That's why I'm sitting on one end of a collapsible keyboard stool (sideways) and resting my model 98 on the other (which becomes the "front") end/side...

It puts the mouthpipe right where I need it, and the instrument is more upright/balanced...and...
- WITHOUT risking some bottom bow denting mishap (with a playing stand "cup")
- WITH the ability to move the tuba around a little bit (with the tuba NOT being "locked into" a playing stand...which is the worst thing about a playing stand - other than a playing stand's treacherous tripod).

If your mouthpipe is too high, you might try the same thing...
These Yamaha keyboard stools (and yeah, I'm having to remove the way-too-soft pad, inside) are under $50.

I'm thinking this stand might be the same as the Yamaha one, but more than $10 less, which might help with the postage to Europe...(??)



I bought some THIN/DENSE foam rubber (only 3/8" thick to put IN PLACE OF the (horrible/nonstarter) 2" soft/NON-dense foam rubber pad, and then I'm going to reinstall the fake-leather (Naugahyde) upholstery (staples).





This too-thick/too-soft padding (oem) sucks:




I'm replacing it with this (cut to fit, obviously)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/353209550145

(I would encourage you to try this before paying them to improvise a replacement mouthpipe. I haven't received the replacement foam yet, so I have an old worn sweatshirt draped over the front, for now.)

[pjv]

Update.
Miraphone very did all the work I asked for!!!
-vented the 5th and took out some rattling in the linkage
-made a A=440 MTS
-bent a new mouthpipe where I asked it to be.

The tuba plays great. I can't hear or feel any difference with the two new parts and since I'm the one playing that's all that matters.
And I now have a nice mouthpipe to do warm-ups on.

Many thanks to Christian Niedermaier for his courtesy and information.
And most certainly to the man who did worked on my tuba AND is the builder of all the large tubas at Miraphone: Herr ......

and I'm an idiot that I've forgotten his name.
Please if any of you know, post it here.

Thanks,
Patrick

[matt g]

Awesome!