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Here is my mirafone 1270. I have asked for help on this horn before, thanks to Dan Schultz I actually know what it is! I got it used for FREE . It's a decent playing horn, although it has it's problems. When I got it the 3rd valve had a dent in it, I got it fixed no problems. Now that I can play a little better and have played a few other horns I noticed how stuffy it sounds.......well take a look at the pictures. I think I got it this way.
>here is a picture of the horn

here is the problem.......



the big question....how much, and is it worth fixing?

You got the tuba free? Fix the leadpipe.

The worst that will happen is that you won't like the way it plays and you can sell it here or on xbay. You might even make a rpofit. A no brainer if you can afford the repair.

Is it just the angle of the photo, or is that mouthpiece sticking out really far? Looks like you've got a small shank receiver there. A new lead pipe with a modern large receiver (and without a twist in it) should help to open it up a little. Of course, like Bloke said, those horns are "stuffy" anyways, but for a small investment you may see a big improvement and should you decide to sell it you'll get a better price.
Let us know what you decide!
Mike

You should be able to get that leadpipe fixed or replaced for about $100 or even less .
I was using a borrowed horn from a local middle school and got the mouthpiece stuck in it and twisted the lead pipe when I foolishly attempted to remove it at home with out the proper tools .
The horn was an old Besson bell forward euphonium 3 valve that hadn't been made since the 70's. While the repairman was able to fix the lead pipe with dent balls I had a new lead pipe ordered and installed . Total cost ....... $85.00 . Pretty cheap price to pay for my stupidity .
Get your great old tuba fixed . It will be worth it .

Fix the leadpipe. It it doesn't work out for you, sell it. These aren't great horns but there are plenty of folks out there looking for 'starter' horns.

I agree. Fix it. And if you can find another beat up tuba for free, you might even be able to get a retrofit upright bell, if you want it.

Thanks to all, I will get it fixed the next trip to the repair man. I will post later about the results