TubeNet

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Call Dilion music.

http://www.dillonmusic.com/

I have added 5th valves to two tubas. First, you have to find a valve with the right bore. There can be a difference but my rule has been to not have more that .005" difference.

Along with the valve you need tubing, including bow, inner and outer tubing (that fits!) and the thumb lever.

I was able to buy all of this from Peter Hirsbrunner. I don't know what the cost would be in today's dollars but I bet you're looking at $500 from him. I added one valve myself and let a fine repairman to the second job.

Dillon's comes first to most people's minds but there are literally dozens of people who can do the job well.

Good luck!

Timely discussion...on a whim, I contacted Matt Walters about the same thing. End verdict was that it'd cost at least $1,000 and would be a no win situation. (Pretty much what I expected to hear.) Also, I'll probably be selling/trading this horn in the next year or two, so it just doesn't make sense to do it.

Just adding my opinion here. I played a 4 valve Cervany toward the end of college and always thought I'd get a 5th valve put on and never did. I played the thing in lots of pit orchestras, and regional orchestras and opera orchestras. It got me through a lot of stuff, and I bet with some practice it could get you through a lot also, and you could save your thousand dollars for a new horn or car to get you to the gigs. Just my opinion of course, but having heard Mr. Tucci play my horn with his command of the low register, there were not any missing notes when he played. And when you think about it, what do you get? A good low F, solid Db, a lot of money to spend while you are in school and not sure of where life might take you in music. Good Luck.

Sorry, but L&M, even though they usually provided exquisite customer service, are not the place to take any sort of custom work! Their repair department is just not of that calibre. You need a cleaning, or a resolder, or a de-dent job, then maybe that's the place to take your horn. But why would you ever bother when Ron Partch Brasswinds is about two blocks East of L&M's Ossington store???
Ron is a Master Brass Craftsman.
Don't trust your horn to anyone else.
Just my opinionated opinion.

Neither of the two 5th valves I've added ended up costing a thousand dollars!

If you are adventurous enough to do it yourself: under $500. If you find the valve and tubing, a shop shouldn't charge anymore than $5 - 600 if it's a fairly straightforward job.

I used a quality repairman last time because I wanted great cosmetics on my present instrument (still less than a $1000). I could have done it with my basic skills and that means a lot of people could have.