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Yup, it happened today in class. Our band director was already in a bad mood, everyone could tell. His brother happens to sit close to me, so when Mr. E left the room to do something real quick, I scooted over to ask his brother what was wrong (he didn't know).

When he entered the room, I scooted back over (The tube was laying on it's side on my lap). As I scooted back over keeping an arms on the tuba, it slipped. It hit the ground and everyone stared, a few whispered to me the Mr. E was staring right at me. He quickly finished what he was doing, stood back on the podium and said, "Man Alex... that tuba is probably worth more than your life."

He had then passed out the music (Call Me, by Blondi), it was a really fun piece, but I'm guessing you can probably tell I didn't enjoy playing it that much.

There was pretty minor damage to the bell, but I still felt horrible the rest of the day.

Not gonna lie, this is basically a sympathy post, I really just wanna hear stories so I know I'm not alone with what just happened.

Funcoot wrote: "Man Alex... that tuba is probably worth more than your life."

In some public and most private school systems, that comment would get him terminated immediately.

Every tuba I have ever owned has taken damage from a fall. I tripped over the curb with my first CC and it banged up the bottom bow. I slipped on a wet staircase with my Eflat and put a ding in the side of the wrap and I slipped on the ice in my most dramatic fall with my Neptune which caused another bashed bottom bow (as well as a sore back, elbow, shoulder and pride). As much as we love our instruments, they are simply tools that can get damaged in day to day life and most things can be repaired.

I once was playing my Middle School's Holton BB-345 outside on a windy day at a music camp, and 20 inches of bell caught wind and it came straight down on the bottom bow. I got the repairs done for them.

Tubainsauga wrote:Every tuba I have ever owned has taken damage from a fall. I tripped over the curb with my first CC and it banged up the bottom bow. I slipped on a wet staircase with my Eflat and put a ding in the side of the wrap and I slipped on the ice in my most dramatic fall with my Neptune which caused another bashed bottom bow (as well as a sore back, elbow, shoulder and pride). As much as we love our instruments, they are simply tools that can get damaged in day to day life and most things can be repaired.

The only tubas that never get dropped, dinged, pinged, or scratched are the are ones that are never played. As long as it still continues to function, don't worry about it.

A co worker of mine had his fairly brand new tuba run over by the bus he was just riding in.

bummer...

spit happens however and life goes on.

So are you gonna fix it?

I know a guy....

k

The worst damage I ever ever done to a tuba was my previous Besson 981. I was sitting on a chair with outstanding wooden seat and as I lifted I caught the bottom bow on the chair seat edge making a big dent about 4 inches across!

In recent times I always use a tuba stand and that has considerably reduced damage. To date in over three years almost daily use, my Neptune has only sustained a few lacquer scratches and a couple of minor dings, not big enough to call dents - and that is transporting it around in a gig bag.

The worst I can remember is a high schooler in the same youth band as me was the player of a new Miraphone 184 or 185. He was putting it away in the stock hard case, and missed. The bell was outside the case as he tried to close it and he crushed the tuba just below the bell, to the point where the case actually closed on it. To this day I cannot figure out how someone screws up that bad.

.

I was doing philanthropy with my fraternity. We had an hour in between classes that we were sitting in on and helping out the high schoolers, so I had my tuba out and my friend had his trombone out. We trust each other, so I gave him my horn to play on, and I took his. It was getting toward the end, and so I started putting his horn away when I heard a big thud...i looked, and he had picked up my horn by the 5th valve slide, not knowing that it came out...huge crunch in the bell...it was an accident, though, and I know that he would never do anything like that on purpose.
I just sat there for a minute or so in complete shock, then cried for about half an hour....it was like a part of me got crushed with the bell

I've heard tale of a DC area professional subbing with one of the orchestras up here whose wife, dropping him off for rehearsal or gig, deliberately backed up her car and ran over his Yorkbrunner in its gig bag laying on the ground. The couple were in the process of a divorce.

Funny thing is, I didn't hear about her subsequent hospitalization from multiple lacerations and fractures, which would have happened if it had been my tuba.

I've heard tale of a DC area professional subbing with one of the orchestras up here whose wife, dropping him off for rehearsal or gig, deliberately backed up her car and ran over his Yorkbrunner in its gig bag laying on the ground. The couple were in the process of a divorce.

That sounds like an old wives tale

Gotta watch out for old wives

Tuba Guy, thats a tough one. Letting someone that you trust borrow the horn, and still getting it damaged. I like letting other players play my tuba, but I rarely will walk away or let them out of sight. Even if they have their own very nice tuba and they keep it in good shape, I'm always nervous.

In my senior year of high school, I was taking private lessons and my private lesson teacher loaned me his Meister Gerhard Schneider BBb to play that year. I always babied that horn; it was the first "pro" horn I had ever played. One day in band I needed to leave my spot and get something from the equipment. I never put the horn on its bell when I put it down, and I didn't want to lay it on the "dirty" floor, so I laid it across two chairs. As soon as I left the risers, down it went. I was so embarrassed and ashamed. Thank god my private lesson teacher was understanding. I did get a lecture on how to put a horn down when you're not using it, which I RICHLY deserved and have never forgotten.
Things happen in life, learn your lesson and move on. Its only a big deal if you don't learn from the experience.

Junior year of high school and time for marching band photos.

I was walking up the stairs of the stadium stands and...well, tripped while wearing my sousaphone....fell backwards, dented my rear and put in some real nice dents on the horn. It was one of those old heavy conns (naked lady) and man.........

It could be worse. I was just in the shop having some minor repairs done to a horn and the repair guy showed me a trombone he was working on. The bell was smashed with multiple double folds. The owner apparently put it down in the case behind his car and forgot about it, running over it. The good news is that only the bell was trashed. The bad news is that while a brand new bell may play fine and look good, it will never be the same horn. He can only hope that he is happy with the sound when done.

The Conn 21J that I'm working on right now is beat to hell and back. multiple drops. On the back side of the bell stack it has a flat edge about 4in wide running from the bottom bow ring to the bell tenon. The bottombow guard is hanging by the two ends that are still somehow soldered on. Needless to say that the finish is just a bit worn . When all is said and done I'm not really afraid of "franken horning" it. Hopefully I will end up with a 6/4 4V BAT .

[quote="LJV"
BUT, the one I did to myself was once when I was goofing around jumping over traffic saw horses like a track and field hurdler in downtown Detroit. My foot snagged on the last one.

I was almost able right myself, but gravity won and I spun around and landed square on my back. Hard.

Where was the tuba, you ask? In a gig bag, strapped to my back. Where else would it be? [/quote]
Isn't it amazing when we make a really dumb-*** mistake like that one, that not only are we not traumatized for the rest of our lives but actually LEARN from the mistake?