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Hi guys....first off sorry i do not have a picture available to show you what im talking about
but anyway my brand new tuba has a very noticible dent in it near the bottom bow already and i was wondering if any of you guys would be able to make a suggestion or 2 about repair work on my tuba....i need to try to keep it under budget if i can but if thats not possible than i totally understand

any help would be greatful....the dent is on my amati ABB 323 tuba

thanks again guys


Ryan

Same thing happened to me with my VMI. I brought it home and took it out of the bag to show my partner and she said "What is that crease in your tuba?" Needless to say, not impressed and returned it to the store to have the dent removed. It bugs me to put them in the horn myself, however I draw the line at somebody else doing it(and in the case of the store, being "surprised" that it could have been there)!. Don't worry, the jury and a competent repairman will have it fixed in no time.

new instruments are always a joy to have, and the first dent or scratch is painful, to your pride as much as to the instrument.
It has to be said though, that playing brass instruments is always risky, there are chairs, doors, stairhandles and other instruments, before you start thinking about gravity and other people who don't think as much about your instrument as you do.
It comes down to this really, to keep your instrument free of dents and scratches you cover it in bubble wrap, keep it in its case and locked in a cupboard. You can't avoid them. All I can offer really is sympathy and hope that it doesn't affect the sound and that you have better luck in future.

Ughhhh my new Tuba has a dent in it already

Good.

Am I being mean?
No.
Tubas are going to pick up dents, period. Just a matter of time. Getting that first "ding" can greatly take the pressure off. I have even known of guys who intentionally put a small ding in a new horn, just so they don't stay up nights sweating out of fear for the first dent.
If the dent is small, and you don't notice any wacked out changes in the overtone scale, just leave it alone.

Hey it may just play better - check the intonation with a tuner. One of my former teachers, Dan Parantoni used to talk about an old Alexander he had that was dropped while in a crate being loaded on to a ship and the resultant dent much improved the intonation.

This is what the ball peen hammer in the shop is for. Every time you purchase a pristine new horn, you take it into the shop and tap it gently (but not too gently) to create a harmless dent.

Then, you can stop holding your breath, and get on with the business of playing it.

sloan wrote:This is what the ball peen hammer in the shop is for. Every time you purchase a pristine new horn, you take it into the shop and tap it gently (but not too gently) to create a harmless dent.

Then, you can stop holding your breath, and get on with the business of playing it.

Hey! I resemble that remark! You should see the condition of my tubas: cosmetically resembling rebuilt wrecks (with the exception of the upright bell on the 186), but with great valves and great sound. The cost was right. Also, the advantage of purchasing used and being more concerned about mechanics and playability rather than cosmetics: three instruments, including repairs and accessories, a Miraphone, a Besson and a classic Conn souzy, which altogether cost less than a new one of each.

When I was in school in beginner band my folks bought me a brand new trumpet. Within two years, I had experienced 1) dropping it, requiring the bell to be rubbed out, and 2) vandalism as some jerk took the valves out, slammed them against a brick wall, and shoved them back in. I've never purchased a new brass instrument since, and never intend to, unless someone is paying me a salary to do it and I can depreciate the cost on my taxes.

Tubas are like cars - if regularly used, they soon gain minor damage. No doubt my new babies will very shortly

All you can do is accept as part of life and move on. Think of it as a distinguishing mark individualizing your tuba

It is a big deal! It's your new horn that you probably took a while to get! People who say otherwise are rich, jerks, or rich jerks. Jokes aside, I do believe that (readers interpret however you like...).

But it is going to happen sooner or later!! I thought I was (and I am!) super careful with my 100-year old King in it's Altieri bag on the bus. But somehow I got a dent in the bottom bow even though I always set it down very lightly.
It's gonna happen, but if you're careful you can minimize them.

The thought of taking a hammer to a horn and intentionally damaging it sounds rather odd to me. I know that my VMI will end up with its share of scrapes, however I am doing my best to minimize them.

roughrider wrote:The thought of taking a hammer to a horn and intentionally damaging it sounds rather odd to me. I know that my VMI will end up with its share of scrapes, however I am doing my best to minimize them.

It was a joke. The most difficult aspect of language to express correctly in cyberspace is satire.

iiipopes wrote:

roughrider wrote:The thought of taking a hammer to a horn and intentionally damaging it sounds rather odd to me. I know that my VMI will end up with its share of scrapes, however I am doing my best to minimize them.

It was a joke. The most difficult aspect of language to express correctly in cyberspace is satire.

Sorry, the most difficult aspect of language to express by writing is pitch. Satire is merely hard.

personally, I struggle with sarcasm...sorry about the dent- but its just not practical to be running off to a repair shop over every dent or ding- they will happen...if playing isnt impacted, leave it alone....rack up a few and you can then go visit the body shop...good luck

jamsav wrote:personally, I struggle with sarcasm...sorry about the dent- but its just not practical to be running off to a repair shop over every dent or ding- they will happen...if playing isnt impacted, leave it alone....rack up a few and you can then go visit the body shop...good luck

Dents should be removed every time you visit the shop - for some other reason.

Actually, if you frequent the right shops - the proprietor won't allow a dent to go out the door, but will probably shake his head in amusement if you bring it in ONLY to fix the dent. (I speak here, of course, of "innocuous" dents that have no effect on the sound.)

bloke wrote:This innocuous dent has no effect on the sound [mind].

Yeah, but do the valves still work?

Ooh, sorry about the dent, Dude. It's personal and it hurts. I know. 1st, don't tackle it yourself. Take a deep breath and then start doing some asking around regarding someone who can address it. You shouldn't be in a hurry here. There are very competant craftsman out there, (Dan Schultz, Steve Hubbard, a few others,) who can make your horn ok again.

iiipopes wrote:

bloke wrote:This innocuous dent has no effect on the sound [mind].

Yeah, but do the valves still work?

Yes it appears Joe worked on this gentleman's valves and he paid Joe with a check drawn on BofA and did not add $5. Look what happened to him. You really don't want to see what the tuba looks like now!

tofu wrote:Yes it appears Joe worked on this gentleman's valves and he paid Joe with a check drawn on BofA and did not add $5. Look what happened to him. You really don't want to see what the tuba looks like now!

Now I don't care where you're from; Tofu, That was funny.

I do agree with Mr Sloan- fi you happen to have the horn into the shop for any reason, get the dents fixed- and yes, a good repair guy would take it upon himself to do just that. To my point, it is impractical to run to the shop over every minor dent or ding- its like driving to the car wash immediately , everytime the car gets dirty. You'd spend all your days driving in a circle , and many days without what might be your only instrument