old Meinl-Weston 25

[Dan Schultz]

Nice job, Joe!

BTW... what's the main difference between a model 20 and a model 25?

[sailn2ba]

REALLY nice job. What did you do to quiet the linkage?

[Ace]

Those tubas look good. You do nice work. I hope the school that gets them isn't middle or high school--------they could be trashed in a very short time.

Ace

[swillafew]

I played one just like it for 2 years in college; those are wonderful axes, IMO.

[Dan Schultz]

.... The Meinl-Weston model 25 is to the Meinl-Weston model 20 ~as the~ Miraphone model 187 is to the Miraphone model 186....

That is correct. The 25 has a slightly larger bottom bow and bell while the bore is the same at the model 20. I also thought the model 25 had three of four tuning slides on top while the model 20 had two on top with the fourth on the backside.

I know the current model 25 is built with three slides on top. Of course, that doesn't mean that it's always been that way. Just curious if this is a way to identify the difference between the two without resorting to a tape measure or a side-by-side scale image.

[iiipopes]

The linkage is quiet because I rested both sides of each T-joint against the anvil portion of the vice and peened them until I removed all of the play. I removed the play in the eccentric screws in the stop arms (through the hole in the steel bearing on the S-arms) by countersinking each screw (trial and error...' too small of an amount to measure, and too unpredictable, due to uneven wear) until the slack was eliminated (as those screws have tapered diameters). I also shaved the rotor bears on the lathe to remove up-and-down rotor end-play.

I wish it were convenient for me to bring my 186 for you to redo my "S" linkage. Great work.

[GC]

The model 25 I owned in college (bought around '72) was much like the one in the picture. The 4th valve slide was middle-to-back. It also didn't have the Getzen stencil or a bell wreath; there was a plastic ring around the edge of the bell. The Meinl-Weston logo was straight across, not angled. The lower bow was a bit bigger than a 186, but the bell was significantly larger.

The model 20's I've seen were closer to a 186 in size and all played very nicely.

[Tom Coffey]

It is sensational to see the "s" linkages fixed up instead of replaced!

[Dan Schultz]

I mainly repaired the S linkage because
- it is so "built" on this tuba (heavy, oversize nickel-silver hinge tubing on the T-joints), and
- I knew I could make the action quiet in less time (and spending less money) than if replacing it...Having to pull the top bow (time involved) kinda "blew the budget" on the fix-up.

Br'er Pope,
You can probably unhook the linkage and send it to tuba tinker. I'm sure he can do the same thing...(or you can do it yourself). .....

Thanks for the accolades, Joe!

Of course, Bloke is 100% correct. Most of the time those 'old-fashioned' S-links can be made to work well. Even if parts are broken they can be brazed back together. Pins can be tightened and tubes swaged.

If you currently have the old 'S-links'.... oil is your friend. Every moving point on those linkages needs to be oiled every few months. Use a fairly heavy oil like 3-in-1. Valve oil is too thin and will evaporate quickly.

If you do remove the 'S-links' to send them away for repair.... just take the whole paddle bar assembly off the horn and also include the stop arms in order to get the pivot there taken care of. When you put the assembly/parts back on the horn... you may have to make a minor adjustment to get the 'S-link' true to the slot in the stop arm.

[sailn2ba]

THANKS. Fascinating thread for me because I have an old M'Fone 185 with noisy S-linked valves, and I've been reluctant to modify it for sentimental reasons. . . I regularly use a newer tuba.

Is there anywhere on the 'net, a good diagram of rotary valve parts? I don't know what the "stop arm" is, and I can't visualize how "shaving" off a little material will reduce clearance.

[Dan Schultz]

Joe... before you deliver the Meinl... take a few measurements for me:

- the diameter of the bell flare
- the overall length of the bell
- the circumference of the stem where it enters the bow ferrule

If anyone happens to have a Meinl 20 sitting around... please do the same and post the measurements.

[Sandlapper]

Wondering....what's the going rate for a reconditoned Meinl-Weston 25?

[Wyvern]

While visiting the late Kurt Klingspor (Belltrouble) in Germany I played one of these old 25 with his band and was impressed with how well it played. Nice tone and surprisingly full tone. At the time made me rather think I should have bought a gold-brass MW25 which was offered to me at one stage

[Dan Schultz]

While visiting the late Kurt Klingspor (Belltrouble) in Germany I played one of these old 25 with his band and was impressed with how well it played. Nice tone and surprisingly full tone. At the time made me rather think I should have bought a gold-brass MW25 which was offered to me at one stage

I miss Kurt. He was one of the 'gentlemen' of TubeNet.

[jeopardymaster]

Seems to me there is a significant difference in the routing of pipes between the 20 and the 25. I'm recalling a 4th valve slide pull in the front, between 1 and 3, a funky dogleg in the piping, a 90 degree angle and a straight-across traverse. Or maybe a change was made to both the 20 and the 25 after this instrument was produced?