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I've got my 186 back that I'm working on, so the kid won't be taking it to that gauntlet on Saturday, he's got his new jp379b, and he's tickled to death, so all's right with the world.

The jp379b is such an amazing tuba...so compact and so big sounding. Actually, I pulled it out of the box at the truck depot and played it for the dad. It was hard for me to play because it was so freaking cold, but it put out the same type in the same quantity of sound as a 186, yet it's only about 32 in tall, and the bell diameter is only 15 inches.

Now that the loaned 186 is back, it was time to get the kranz attached to the bell, so that the bell can be attached to the tuba, and the tuba can then be polished (20-30-something Fahrenheit is ideal for buffing - no perspiration!), shot with lacquer (no bugs, either!) and sold.

The kranz was installed and soldered in place today. Tomorrow, I'll probably install this bell onto the tuba (after removing the crappy/loaner bell).

This bell doesn't look new but BOTH this bell AND this (62-year-old) kranz were quite distressed. All that can be said about them (re: their previous condition) is that
- neither were cracked
- neither had ever been refinished
...so this bell-and-kranz is structurally sound and straight.