The tuning isn't bad.
(I've played some 5-figure-priced tubas that offer far more dubious intonation.)
As can be seen, these two are "first cousins" of each other.
The 4-valve (apparently...and I don't remember individual repairs), I'm told that I did a tremendous amount of work on it in the past to get it where it is...but it needed some guides, a casing top male thread ring soldered back on, a brace or two re-soldered, some button/stem issues (etc.)
The 3-valve is a newly-owned one by this customer.
What they had (in regards to the 3-valve) was a complete 3-valve TOP-ACTION tuba with very leaky valves (dismally unsatisfactory playing experience) which featured the good-condition bell and some useful oem buttons/caps/etc.
RECENTLY (re: the three-valve SIDE-action) they were given the side-action body (which has GOOD valves), but it was totally MISSING its recording bell, and had some wrong caps/buttons...
...so (yes, obviously...) the big upright bell (today) was transplanted from the top-action/leaky-valves body to the no-bell/side-action/recording body/good-valves body - as well as upgrading the side-action with oem top caps and buttons (donated from the leaky-valves top-action).
man-oh-man...Did I do a BUNCH of un-soldering/soldering, and dent removal, today.
(and the donor bell - though surely made from the same mandred) was loosey-goosey in the 3-valve front-action body' bottom bow, so I had to do a bunch of "song-and-dance" until it fit properly (to avoid adding to the instrument's weight via a spool of solder...no, not really, but sorta
)...and the customer now has two GOOD Conn E-flat tubas, rather than ONE good one, a no-good one, and part of another one.
Hey...The "new" 3-valve (with about a 1/2 inch pull and a full-size mouthpiece stuck into it (there was a Helleberg out in the shop), does A=440 with ease.
Of course, we fed/coffeed the customer and they are on their way home (probably home by midnight or 1 A.M.)
Candidly, I thought I was doing a bunch of work to end up with a big E-flat tuba that "plays strong", yet with goofball tuning characteristics, but no: It's quite a viable/serviceable instrument...so (even though this was a "surprise" repair gig, and I wondered if it might only be "busy work") I actually accomplished something good, today (and was paid).
I also had another customer pick up an amazing c. 1960's (gleaming original lacquer) King 5B "Silver Sonic" - whereby they had taken a distressed playing slide off to "another place" and got it back worse than it was when dropped off. (yes...NONE of us really mind repairing damage, but ALL of us hate having to repair damage inflicted via the advantage/benefit of TOOLS.
). I found some parts (not King, as who knows how long or if) which were extremely close to the original parts (parts that I was forced to replace, and which I was forced to label as scrap), and (yup) it's a GOOD slide. 2/3rds of a century ago, trombone playing slides featured closer tolerances. (I'm pretty sure that the "stocking" o.d. has remained - this particular model - at .580", but I'm also pretty sure the the inner i.d. of the outside playing slide tubes (across the industry) has been opened up by a couple of thousands of an inch. This (I believe) is why a whole bunch of current era slides have to be held UPWARD (by the player) to avoid "7th position drag", why (same issue) the stocking transitions on all makes is now "soft" and why many makes "round down" (shrink inward) the bottom ends of their inside slide tubes...(see picture below, regarding what happens in 7th position with a loose-fitting playing slide)...
- trombone slide 7th.png (6.83 KiB) Viewed 1573 times
Anyway...as the OUTSIDE slide tubes (on this older instrument) feature closer tolerances, this slide (once I repaired everything) DOES feel "different" (more "contact" and awareness of surfaces articulation) yet DOES feel even (not irregular/uneven drag) and the BENEFICIAL tradeoff is that - in 7th position - the slide doesn't dip (as illustrated above) and therefore it doesn't drag in 7th position.
fwiw...The customer is extremely happy, as (after all these years, and two or three mediocre (and recently disastrous) attempts at repair, he claims that it finally behaves as it did when he brought it home from the store with his Dad (original cost c. 1960 - a fortune: $500), lubricated it, and played it as a high school student.
- 500-5200.png (14.59 KiB) Viewed 1569 times
