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i know this probably sounds like the most needless project in the world. I own 4 euphoniums, and haven't played my 2280 since I bought my packer 274 several years ago. And now, I own what I could make the bias argument that I own the best euphonium in the world, my one of a kind, short action, Sterling silver bell Adams E3.

But my old king 2280 still has a soft spot in my heart. Fantastic intonation, Four quick, short, light valves all in the right hand, and it sits a little taller than a british style Euph, which is nice for someone my size. I liked it enough at one point to turn it into a full Chromatic instrument by adding a 5th valve to it.

When I bought the horn it was a wreck, dented to hell with terrible lacquer. I got out the dents I could and gave it a satin finish with steel wool, and then sprayed nitro lacquer over it. It looked decent for a while, but the lacquer didn't hold up to every day use. In the back of my mind I thought I was going to find a silver body for it, transfer the 5th valve to that, and THAT would be my forever Euphonium.

Then Bloke and Packer got me a great deal on the 274, and then I splurged on the Adams last year. The king sat and sat

Then I found a silver 2280 body with parts missing on Ebay dirt cheap. the body was in great shape, with the exception of the parts that were missing. I bought it, polished it up, and started to take apart the ugly horn.

The plan is to polish the brass parts from the old king and sent them off for bright plating, Re build the 5th valve tubing to make it even better, make a new 4th valve circuit because I never liked the factory design of the old one, build a proper valve return because I was never happy with the Carburetor spring I used on the first design, and put it all together for a rebirth.

Will I ever play it? I'm not sure. It depends on how much I love it when I put it back together. The tuba player in me really likes the 4+1 config, so we'll see. I already have offers on the adams for more than I paid for it, but I'm really enjoying that one too.

LeMark wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2023 7:34 pm i know this probably sounds like the most needless project in the world. I own 4 euphoniums, and haven't played my 2280 since I bought my packer 274 years ago.

Wow, didn't know Packer had been around that long!

arpthark wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2023 7:39 pm

LeMark wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2023 7:34 pm i know this probably sounds like the most needless project in the world. I own 4 euphoniums, and haven't played my 2280 since I bought my packer 274 years ago.

Wow, didn't know Packer had been around that long!

HA! I'll edit that part

bump

What is the fifth valve from, @LeMark ?

Miraphone rotor Euph. I bought a used beat up one, took the 4th valve circuit off, and sold it as a 3 valve instrument for as much as a I paid for it.

Got all the parts polished, wrapped for protection while shipping, and boxed up to send to Andersons tomorrow. Let's see how long it takes to get them back. I have things I can be doing here with some parts that are already silver while we wait for that day

shipped the parts to be plated, they arrived there a week ago
Anderson's give me a two week estimate, which I thought was more than reasonable

And yet.. somehow... I'm getting impatient

LOL

The stuff is getting shipped back today. About the same amount of plating I had done for $50 in 2017 cost $150 this time around . ouch

LeMark wrote: ↑Wed May 03, 2023 12:43 pm The stuff is getting shipped back today. About the same amount of plating I had done for $50 in 2017 cost $150 this time around . ouch

that damn Trump...

Here's the stuff!l

LeMark wrote: ↑Fri May 05, 2023 3:54 pm Here's the stuff!l

Shiny!

I'm looking forward to seeing all of this go back together, Mark.

@LeMark Did you mask the slide tubes, or did they?

Thanks.

They did

It's cool to get a cosmetics update. I hope the replacement horn plays as well as the other one.
I know you're really fond of that model.

I picked it up today and reassembled it enough to play it as a three valve instrument, it seems to play just as good or better than my other one. So I'm going to go ahead and proceed with the modifications to the fourth valve circuit and adding the fifth valve

I really dislike on this model how the upper 4th valve circuit blocks easy access to the 4th valve cap, so I'm redesigning that part. It will mean creating a couple more bends in the circuit than were there originally, but hopefully it doesn't hurt it

I finished putting it together today. I'm sitting here kind of stunned because it's not good, it's great. It plays much better than my old one. It plays so good I'm thinking about selling my very special short action sterling bell Adams euphonium and playing this one full time. That seems like such a stupid idea, but as a tuba player I really like playing the five valve non-compensating instruments better. Intonation and tone is fabulous, I need to do a serious back and forth test in an auditorium for people whose ears I trust to tell me if I'm crazy or not. I'll post some pictures after I clean up some solder joints and polish some cloudy silver.

LeMark wrote: ↑Fri May 12, 2023 12:08 pm I finished putting it together today. I'm sitting here kind of stunned because it's not good, it's great. It plays much better than my old one. It plays so good I'm thinking about selling my very special Adams euphonium and playing this one full time. That seems like such a stupid idea, but as a tuba player I really like playing the five valve non-compensating instruments better. Intonation and tone is fabulous, I need to do a serious back and forth test in an auditorium for people whose ears I trust to tell me if I'm crazy or not. I'll post some pictures after I clean up some solder joints and polish some cloudy silver.

Neither cost nor cachet always have a whole lot to do with usefulness.

More than once, I've sold things I had been using for more than what I paid for the things with which I replaced them (and liked better) cost me.

I'm sure it has cost me a good bit of money over they years, because I've avoided buying bargain-priced instruments (to flip) because I my opinion of those makes/models was low (yet others' opinions were high).

I consistently hear that people like those King euphoniums, but (well...) they aren't compensating so how can they possibly be good?