TubeNet

FWIW--I am closely familiar with 5 of these tubas, including one from the first handful imported (with string rotor valves; and detachable bell), and another just a year or so later. Like Bloke, I have never had a problem playing any of them at pitch. I have not heard of anyone having this issue with a Bell Model. So I tend to think it might be an anomaly with your example. I'll leave it to the repair masters here, as to where the anomaly might be (if that is the cause).

I played a friend's MW Bell model tuba a few years ago, and my impression was that the lower range could be sharp if not using the proper embouchure (drop the jaw and think "OH") and mouthpiece - too shallow a cup caused the low range to be grainy or edgy.

tuben wrote:

bloke wrote:How many of these have you played, and how many from different eras? (This model seems to have undergone some minor changes over the years.)

No others that are like mine (detachable bell / narrow slide).

How close is yours to the one at Dillon's right now? I tried it about a year ago, it was a nice playing tuba.

Oh crap, I'm not a repairman, whoops.

Here is a link to another picture of a 37, supposedly Pilafian's old horn.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=32311" target="_blank

Could it be your bell got mismatched to the horn somehow? Maybe the horn itself was a "Melton" and the bell a "M-W" - but I guess that's sort of what you are saying.

tuben wrote:

jeopardymaster wrote:Could it be your bell got mismatched to the horn somehow? Maybe the horn itself was a "Melton" and the bell a "M-W" - but I guess that's sort of what you are saying.

I've sent such questions to melton and they have been responsive so far, so here's hoping the new 'discoveries' bear fruit.

I suppose a 'Melton' body and MW bell is possible. Anyone that owns a model 35 or 37 that would be willing to measure the length of the main tuning slide ferrules, I'd appreciate it and would buy you a beer when/if we ever meet.

I would suggest that if you find someone else with a Bell model who is willing to measure that you also compare the length of the leadpipe and the overall height of the tubas. There are lots of bits which could be too short on your tuba. I also see a lot of variation in this model with just a google image search, so measuring one version versus another might not tell you everything you want it to.
If there is any doubt as to whether or not it's you or the tuba and you want confirmation, have another tuba player play it and see if they have the same issue. Honestly, I would bet it's the tuba. For you, it needs to be longer than it is and that's what matters most since it's your instrument. I would have the main tuning slide extended if it were me even if there is some other shorter part of the instrument compared to others. A longer tuning slide is the the most simple and cost effective solution.

Christian, hesitantly posting because he is not a repairman

I'm not a repairman but I can tell you what I did in a similar situation:

I have a wonderful Rudy 4/4 CC that always played a bit on the sharp side. At least until I had a qualified technician change out the main tuning slide ferrules with ones that were twice as long. This added around 1" to each side and the total was enough to permanently fix the problem, just as Bloke surmised in your case. Nothing about the horn changed at all except the pitch was much more manageable. Good luck!

Yup, I had half of your problem myself. I bought the horn while I was doing my B.Mus. at Michigan but then moved to South Florida for my first job. I made the adjustments to the horn shortly after moving here because the increased temperature just made a bad situation worse. Good luck!