Relauqering A Tuba

[Bignick1357]

So Heres the deal...
I have this beautiful sounding Miraphone 186 and it just doesnt look the part I have looked at all my options I would love to keep the horn but look at getting it reconditioned back to like new condition. I was wondering has any one done this process and how much, and where would I send this to be done

[Bill Troiano]

Nick,
I'm not an expert on this by any means. I would be interested in hearing what the real repair guys have to say, but I did have my 186 CC relacquered back in 1982. The big mistake I think I made is that I loved the way the horn played the way it was. To relacquer a horn, I was told the dents had to be removed or the lacquer would not adhere in those spots. So, the entire horn was disassembled for this. The next mistake I made was by having a local, highly recommended repair person do the job for less cost than the guys in NYC would charge at the time. The actual lacquering was done someplace else and actually came out nice. The local person did not reassemble the horn correctly causing me to sue him for the repair. Basically, the valve section was replaced at a different angle where I could not remove the 2nd valve slide because it hit the bell. Places where it should have been soldered were not because the 2 points of contact did not meet up. Besides that, he cracked the leadpipe and left sharp edges on the bottom bow guards. It was a nightmare. I should have sued for a new horn. I ended up suing for the cost of the repair and settling out of court. That was probably the 3rd mistake. I then had another repair person get me a new leadpipe and bottom bow guards and I sold the horn the way it was.

If you like the way a horn plays, I would think that, even if one of the great repair guys we all know, did the job, and it came out great, it would still play differently because of the reassembling process, using different solder and different amounts in various places. That's not to say that the horn would play better or worse, just different.

Secondly, if you want this done, take it to one of the highly qualified repairs on this board, so that the job is done correctly. Just my experiences!!

[tubaguy9]

Ditto what bloke said. Also, when you have a nice shiny horn, because lacquer won't stick to a dirty, grungy horn, the dents are 10 times more noticeable.

[bort]

I'd thought about this before with an old horn -- the problem was that where my right arm came in contact with the horn, it was worn down to raw brass. Nice little rash on my arm in hot weather when I would sweat. But seemed like an awful lot of trouble for a seasonal annoyance -- especially given that I would later be playing a different tuba anyway!

And as an aside, I think a well-worn 186 (or better yet, 188) is a *fantastic* looking thing!

[The Big Ben]

I'd thought about this before with an old horn -- the problem was that where my right arm came in contact with the horn, it was worn down to raw brass. Nice little rash on my arm in hot weather when I would sweat.

No reason it couldn't be 'spot lacquered' in that place. Or use one of those leather wraps some guys have.

[Bignick1357]

Thanks guys my only question is Im headed to a somewhat small college with a band of about 100 people and I believe my tuba will be fine there but when I got on to my masters and need to sell it for a bigger tuba do you think I can still get some money for it?

[J.c. Sherman]

Bloke gave my answer. Identical.

J.c.S.

[iiipopes]

Yes. It still retains value. But why sell it? There are always uses for a good 4/4 tuba, and as you progress, you will find more and more how versatile it really is.