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When I was in 8th grade, my parents bought me a "CC" tuba off a Ebay. It's a nickel plated 4 valve "Maestro". The problem is that it plays extremely flat. I had someone cut the main tuning slide and it's still very flat. After years of the horn just sitting around and no one wanting to buy it, (and I'm not sure I would feel right selling to someone) I've come to the conclusion that there must be something I can do with the poor horn. I could use a BBb horn every once in a while, so I was wondering whether or not it would be easy to just get a conversion slide or something of the sort. I have no knowledge of doing such things, so I figured maybe you tubenetters would have some ideas.

If your horn is already playing flat, you might want to trim down to pitch. Start with a little more tubing, say 24 to 26 inches, then you can trim to pitch.

I can vouch for the change in characteristics of the horn with different main tuning slide lengths. I how have both bells up and running on my 186. With the recording bell, the intonation is typical Miraphone, with good octaves and 5ths, all the way up and down, and slightly flat 5th partial major thirds (mid line D, Db, C). But with the upright bell, which is short, and a lengthened tuning slide that is only about 2 1/2 inches longer per leg to compensate, the intonation totally changes. The octaves are a bit compressed, with the lowest notes being a hair sharp and the highest notes being a hair flat, and midline D has to have the 1+2 alternate, but 2nd space C is right on. And these significant changes are from only about 4 to 5 inches of of the tuba overall changed from the conical bell to the cylindrical tuning slide.

Something like this?



I couldn't get good results. It works OK (just 'OK'... not great) on the open bugle but plays hell with the tuning circuits. Going from CC to BBb involves pulling everything out pretty much 'to the max'. Going from BBb to CC won't work at all.

I had an extension made for my YCC-621 and it works good enough for jazz
(I have posted some photos and a sketch of the main extension in another Tubenet message.)

Rather than convert it to BBb, why don't you try to make it work as a CC?

Someone who knows what they are doing should be able to adjust your horn so that it plays in tune. Preferably a tech who plays the tuba also.

The Big Ben wrote:Rather than convert it to BBb, why don't you try to make it work as a CC?

Someone who knows what they are doing should be able to adjust your horn so that it plays in tune. Preferably a tech who plays the tuba also.

I think jspeek is right in this regard; we are not talking about a horn playing a few cents flat. These tubas gave Chinese tubas a VERY bad name, and were later sold as CCb tubas (yes, that is Double C Flat) due to the approximate pitch they played in. Figure, having to chop off at least a foot for C, or add a foot or so for BBb (more if the horn was previously cut.)

This could be used as one of those B natural tubas you guys are always drooling over....

or see the "death of a tuba" thread.....

bloke wrote:I vote for Ben's suggestion.

Yes, I bought one of those (out of curiousity...a few hundred bucks) myself...and sent it back.

The chances of trimming off a few inches (maybe three or so inches off of each leg of one of the bows...??) and making it into a viable CC and much higher than adding a bunch of cylindrical junk and making it into a good BBb.

Why only "cylindrical junk"? Why not go all the way and swap out the bell?

Right on Joe - that would make it ideal for playing Floral Dance in brass band or emulating Fletch with Waltz of the Flowers. Evrythings comin up roses!

Reminds me of when I was staying at Harvey's - he had an old Conn bell which made a nice planter in the master bed room. This would be like getting revenge for all those old bells which became flower pots! Add a little garden hose and you could water the plants if the conversion fails.

I agree with 'hrender". Take out the mouthpiece and drive a new tuba under it and it will be right as rain.

Roger