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I play tested a Kalison D.S. and I liked everything about the horn EXCEPT I was REALLY flat on second space C. This was the only partial that was like this. I tried a bunch of mouthpieces and still really flat. Before I played on this horn I was playing on a 3/4 Jupiter BBb. (Try not to laugh so hard) My question is... Is it me or the horn?

The difference in bore size and how that requires each tuba to be blown differently could be a factor. A sure way to find out if it is the tuba is to have someone else play it to see if it has the same tendency.

My 2165 has awesome intonation. The 1 note that sticks out, when played with its normal fingering, is the C in the staff. In my case, it plays sharp. I simply play the note fingered 2-3 for "notes of significant duration" (eighths or longer). With that fingering the note locks right in. Fortunately that is a partial and fingering that naturally works.

In your case, perhaps there is an alternate that might bring the pitch up....at least to a point where you could adjust a slide to lock it right in. There are 5 valves and a bunch of combinations. If you like the horn as much as you are saying, I bet there is something you could do.

Juggernaut04 wrote:I was REALLY flat on second space C. This was the only partial that was like this.

Just out of curiosity - know how flat you were, in some way that you could write down? Was it closer to B? 10 cents? Same throughout every note you play in that partial, or was it actually just C, and the Bb etc. weren't so bad?

I was about 20 cents low.

To answer your second question... Hattiesburg by way of Columbia, MS. I play on a G and W Taku Lite and the G and W Alan Baer. Beleve it or not the Second space C was the only note I had trouble putting in tune. Anything else was manageable. I even tried a couple PT mouthpieces with the same result. Besides that... I LOVE the horn. Any thoughts?

My only qualifications are that I used to own a horn with a real flat note on its "open partial", but the sake of discussion - my theory is that when it's a single note grievously out of tune, you have a flaw somewhere in there. Big solder blob? Dried up bug? Leak? I don't know, and judging from my experience you may look all you want and not find it. Rumor has it that the problem with mine turned out to be a leaky leadpipe (discovered by subsequent owner.) But according to this theory, anyway, if the horn were completely dis- and re-assembled by a skilled repairmen, the problem would likely be gone (along with any other special characteristics.) You could check how much that costs, and factor it into your evaluation.