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I like my recently purchased MW 32.
That said, any variation of the note F is almost a quarter step sharp.
I've tried pulling the first valve slide on just that note, but it isn't that helpful.
Does anybody have any suggestions?

No dents. No leaks that I could find, though I haven't had that appraised by a repairman. It is used.

The alignment doesn't seem problematic. Everything seems in order, which is why I'm puzzled.

Zaphod Beeblebrox wrote:I like my recently purchased MW 32.
That said, any variation of the note F is almost a quarter step sharp.
I've tried pulling the first valve slide on just that note, but it isn't that helpful.
Does anybody have any suggestions?

How about 1+4 ?

...might not work, but at least it's a suggestion.

Any way to compare the tuba to another of the same make and model to determine if a brace has been soldered in the wrong place? That could interfere with an antinode and skew pitch on the note.

Wouldn't doing 1+4 make the tone a little thicker sounding?

Try just 5 (is it has a fifth valve)
If the F is that sharp, the longer 5th valve may be just the ticket.

Zaphod Beeblebrox wrote:Wouldn't doing 1+4 make the tone a little thicker sounding?

Maybe not "thicker", but it will have more resistance. The 1+4 version of that note is a lower note in a higher overtone series, instead of a higher note in a lower overtone series. So using 1+4 is like taking a detour to get to the F.

If all else fails, just get the tuba checked out. There are a ton of factors (visible and invisible) that affect the way a tuba plays. Maybe this is just the best it will ever be, but something else funky could be happening too.