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I just got my horn back from the repair shop after having the lead pipe lowered so that I can comfortably play with the horn on my lap instead of on the chair. I didn't notice it until I got home, but the repairman just un-soldered the lead pipe from the bell, and then forced it down about an inch and a half... The result is a slightly creased/pinched (kinked?) portion of the lead pipe near the bend heading into the 5th valve. I've done enough plumbing work to know that you can't just bend cylindrical pipes by hand without deforming them... you've got to use a manual or mechanical tubing bender of some kind. Is this the same with brass instrument tubing?

Here are some photos:

[img]<a><img%20src="http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r80/ ... ucket"></a>[/img]
[img]<a><img src="http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r80/ ... ipe006.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
[/img]<a><img src="http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r80/ ... ipe004.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
[img]<a><img%20src="http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r80/ ... ucket"></a>[/img]
[img]<a><img src="http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r80/ ... ipe002.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

(my apologies for the large, blurry photos)

At any rate, am I right to be concerned about this new "kink" in my lead pipe? Unfortunately, I am still in the process of trying to get my chops back after a several year layoff... So I am not able to really tell a discernible difference in playability right now.

Should I march this thing back into the repair shop tomorrow and demand that it be fixed, or is this and unavoidable side effect of having the lead pipe lowered?

Any repair guys out there have any insight to offer?

By the way, I met the repairman for pickup right as the music shop was closing. I played a few notes, payed him his money, and we walked into the parking lot together to head home. I really felt like I was in the wrong business when I watched him get into his nearly new 7 series BMW with my check in his pocket!

-Brett[/img]

For what it's worth, here are a couple of pictures of the front of the horn... Hoping that it will give you all a better reference of where the "kink" is. You can't see the kink from the front, as it is directly behind the 5th valve tuning slide. You can, however, see where the lead pipe used to fit to the bell.

Is it just me, or are most of these Rudy Meinl tubas built for people MUCH taller than me @ 5'7" (i.e. 6'2"+++)??? At least the tuba is finally perfectly comfortable to hold, right?

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-Brett

The leadpipe needs to be ROUND... not flattened and kinked. Take it back to the shop that did the work and have it done correctly. That leadpipe should have been removed from the horn... stripped of lacquer... annealed to make it dead soft... filled with pitch... bent to the new shape... pitch removed... buffed... remounted to the horn... and relacquered.

BTW... I got tired of moving the leadpipes on my horns and finally bit the bullet and bought a tuba rest.

TubaTinker wrote:

BTW... I got tired of moving the leadpipes on my horns and finally bit the bullet and bought a tuba rest.

I'm beginning to think that buying a tuba rest would have been a wiser investment at this point. This is, however, the only horn I've ever played that didn't have the mouthpiece at a comfortable level. I don't have any plans to buy another CC tuba in my lifetime (famous last words), so I figured having the lead pipe lowered just this once wouldn't hurt anything!

If you're in NC as your profile says you are, I'd take it to Mike Morse at the Tuba Exchange to get it fixed.

Now I know that he has a tight schedule that fills up about a month out. So you should probably call soon. Who knows he might have an opening soon.

All of the staff over at the Tuba Exchange are always very friendly and prompt when I've called or emailed.

I'd vote for Mike to fix it!!

If you send Vince an email at vince AT tubaexchange DOT com he will re direct your email to Mike, and you should hear back within a few hours, but no more than a day.

hope this helps get it fixed!! but it sucks it happened in the first place

I just hold the horn at an angle. But then, I don't do slide pulling either. So the horn sits on my left hand the back of which is on my leg.

Inexcuseable and unacceptable!

I would not take the instrument back to that repairman. Eat the expense and find a qualified repairman to fix it because anyone who would do work this sloppy is an instrument butcher. He can do a lot more damage since he doesn't know how to do this in the first place.

Not very professional looking but you prolly won't notice buy playing. Look at any Conn 2xJ or 2xK.