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I'm looking to have my old Bohm & Meinl F tuba fixed-up. It plays fairly well right now, but some of the valve slides are too short for me to get good intonation in the low-register, so I'd need someone to try to add length to those slides. Also, the horn is badly tarnished, so I'm considering having it silver-palted.

I'm wondering if anyone has had experiences on having custom work done on their instruments, and if so, if they would recommend the people that worked on their horn.

Also, any other info about this stuff would be greatly appreciated!

Dave Yeager

TubaAS wrote:In my honest opinion, there are only 3 people that I would have work on your tuba for an overhaul. They are (in no particular order) Dan Oberloh, Lee Stofer, and Joe Sellmansberger.

Let's not forget Robb Stewart here in SoCal. He *does* have a waiting list for repairs over $450, so you might have to wait a while to have him work on your horn. Don't quote me on this, but I think his wait is over a year or so right now. Unbelievable work, however, as Tommy Johnson, Jim Self, and just about any other tuba player lucky enough to have him work on their horns will attest. His contact info:

Robb Stewart Brass Instruments
140 East Santa Clara Street, Suite 18
Arcadia, CA 91006
(626) 447-1904

I'll be seeing him this Thursday, if you'd like me to ask him any questions for you.

...Dave

poomshanka wrote:

TubaAS wrote:In my honest opinion, there are only 3 people that I would have work on your tuba for an overhaul. They are (in no particular order) Dan Oberloh, Lee Stofer, and Joe Sellmansberger.

Let's not forget Robb Stewart here in SoCal. He *does* have a waiting list for repairs over $450, so you might have to wait a while to have him work on your horn. Don't quote me on this, but I think his wait is over a year or so right now. Unbelievable work, however, as Tommy Johnson, Jim Self, and just about any other tuba player lucky enough to have him work on their horns will attest. His contact info:

Robb Stewart Brass Instruments
140 East Santa Clara Street, Suite 18
Arcadia, CA 91006
(626) 447-1904

I'll be seeing him this Thursday, if you'd like me to ask him any questions for you.

...Dave

Yes! Robb is fantastic. Remember, he built Jim Self's fluba. He has worked on my horns for years and always done a terrific job. His specialty is cornet restoration and building vintage brass replicas, but he can do anything.

We don't know where you are located and that would make a difference in most people's recommendation.

You should consider Lee Stofer in Atlanta. He's also a Tubenet sponsor.

all of the folks mentioned will likely have something of a waiting list.

It REALLY depends on what you want to have done.

silverplating will be expensive because the horn will have to be buffed to a mirror shine. That's extremely labor intensive. Just extending slides without great cosmetic care could probably* be done in a day or less if you or the repairman already have appropriate tubing.

Matt Walters and Kevin Powers are also super nice guy super expert repair folks.


(* no i'm not a repariman, it's just a guess.)

Here's a thought.

If money isn't particularly important, you might contact the factory and see if they'd want to take on a "factory refurb" job. With all deference to the aforementioned gentlemen, the B&M factory just might have access to parts and jigs that others do not.

B + M SYMPHONIC Metallblasinstrumente GmbH
Buchenweg 3
82538 Geretsried
Tel.: 08171 93590