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Since I live in Europe I might as well have my modifications done out here...but where?

Does anyone have any tips on who out in europe has done tuba work with the kind of quality you get from, say a Lee Stofer or a Matt Walters?

I need to make my 36J 1st & 3rd slides tunable with the left hand, lengthen the 4th valve slide, THOSE kind of modifications.

Thanks, Pat

Where in Europe are you located? In Germany, I've taken my horns back to Rudolf Meinl and they can do custom work. Some of the Sessions Musik chain have some competent repairmen. Bob Tucci may also have some suggestions. I would also assume that the players in the major orchestras could point you in the right direction.

Alexander is also quite capable of doing just about anything.

Mike Johnson does very fine work and is the only guy here I really trust to work on my horns, but he's too busy to do much unless it's something particularly interesting!

Thanks for the tips!

Unfortunately Mikes moving and probably not going to set up shop again.

I live in Holland, so Thein and Gronitz are closest to were I live. Anyone have a clue if they do good custom work?

I'll certainly check into Meinl and Alexander.

Sessions Musik? I'm not familiar with them. Are they also in Heidelberg?

Cheers,
Patrick

I live in The Netherlands too.... Marcel Schot (Atelier Pfeiffer in Rijswijk) or ADAMS Ittervoort are IMHO your best bets in Holland. ADAMS produce their own instruments (Flugelhorns & Euphoniums). www.adams.nl

Sessions is a chain of music stores that caters mostly to guitarists but they do carry a few wind instruments. They sometimes employ a competent repairman and I'm not sure of their record outside of their store in Walldorf, Germany.

The Thein brothers do fantastic custom work but be prepared to pay for it. Contact them through their website.

When I still lived in Holland I used to bring my (french) horn to Groenemans in Heeze, just south of Eindhoven. At that time (10 years ago) quite a few pros brought their horns there, even bothering to travel there from The Hague and Amsterdam.

I live in Switzerland and there are a few really great instrument makers here. The biggest problem is not finding the repairman but finding the right size tubing for american horns since all the tubing available here is in mm. If you want to make slides and lengthen your 4th valve you may need to get the tubing from the USA. With the proper parts and tubes, anyone who knows how to solder and unsolder should be able to do this simple customization.

Thanks again for the tips gentleman!