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Does a dent on the leadpipe affect the sound of the tuba? I guess it depends? Maybe some tiny dings are ok, right? Say if I have a pretty good dent on th leadpipe, what can I do about it? Is ordering a new one the only way to fix it?

Thanks,
Chen

There has been a lot of study regarding the shape of leadpipes but the general consensus is that they need to be smooth on the inside in order to insure the best performance. Dents can be removed from leadpipes. Check with your local repairman. This is not something you can do yourself. Based on the general condition of your leadpipe, replacing it might be your best option.

It's probably not good, but if I had a horn that played great with a dent in the leadpipe (which I have had before), I wouldn't want to 'screw it up' by fixing it. Maybe that's just me though...

Get it fixed quick - dents on the Bell are more cosmetic - dents on the leadpipe are usually not good news.

Andrew M

tubiker wrote:Get it fixed quick - dents on the Bell are more cosmetic - dents on the leadpipe are usually not good news.

Andrew M

Why "quick" if the horn plays just fine? Why not "when the mood strikes you"?

I sense urgency in your response, but I don't understand it.

A dent in the leadpipe can be the easiest way to alter the entire horn. The leadpipe is where the primary overtones are set up. A good sized dent can lead to major intonation issues, I'd definately get that fixed ASAP.

UTTuba_09 wrote:A dent in the leadpipe can be the easiest way to alter the entire horn. The leadpipe is where the primary overtones are set up. A good sized dent can lead to major intonation issues, I'd definately get that fixed ASAP.

Interesting! I've replaced/repaired leadpipes and found that while a dent can affect response (as can the overall taper of the leadpipe), it rarely affects intonation (unless it's leaky).

I've replaced one of the old nearly-a-straight-pipe Alex leadpipes with a more modern one and found some improvement in slotting, but that's an extreme case--and the way-out-of-tune notes pretty much stayed that way.

It's interesting how few factory leadpipes are perfectly round--most are oval through the tighter bends. I'dve thought that the ovalness would be far worse than a small dent.

Can you shed some personal experience on this matter? I'd like to hear what notes went out of tune because of a small leadpipe dent.

I'm trying to learn about this stuff and some solid data would really help me.

TIA.