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Does anyone on here own or have experience with the Schiller cimbasso being sold by Jim Laabs Music? I would assume that it is more or less the equivalent of the other more well-known importers, but it is ~1000 bucks less. That's enough to make me suspicious, so I'd like to hear some feedback on the horn, if possible.

Thanks,

AH

It is a JinBao cimbasso.....a copy of the Rudi....amazing you can get so much horn for the money....

Aaron, I'm curious if you purchased or got to try the Schiller horn. I'm looking for one myself now and it's a toss-up between Schiller, Wessex, and O'Malley.

WBTubaKid wrote:Aaron, I'm curious if you purchased or got to try the Schiller horn. I'm looking for one myself now and it's a toss-up between Schiller, Wessex, and O'Malley.

O'Malley I do not know at all, except as another me-too Ebay seller.

Between Wessex and Schiller there is simply nothing to discuss. Get the Wessex, period. It will have been checked out, there is no deception about the instrument's provenance ("Frankfurt" ), there is a serious warranty (not just store credit if you return it), and you will get real customer service.

- a hopelessly-flat 234 "low A" with no satisfactory alternate...

Depending on how reachable the 5th slide is - have you tried 245 for the low A?

Is the sluggishness in the transmission or in the rotor bearings?

In other words: If the stop arm is unmounted, will the the rotors spin freely?

Klaus

When the Wessex came 2 1/2 years ago, there was still the issue of crud on the inside. Whether it was debris from pitch used in bending or silica carbide from valve lapping, I don't know. From what I understand this has now been resolved. But going back to Winter of 2014. The valved kept getting worse and worse and the back plates would not fit properly without jamming the bearings. Taking them apart revealed black crud that was overlaying the base of the bearing stem on the rear bearing. Even after I was able to remove the crud, the metal was still pitted and would not allow the valve to spin freely on the bearing. I used a bit of Brasso on the bearing and the back plate and rotated it cautiously, polishing the surface more or less. After cleaning things with plenty of valve oil, it was time for reassembly. That was 2 years ago. Today the valves are disturbingly quiet and slick as you might want a rotor. As Joe mentioned about playing the part in La Forza, I have an issue with the whole horn not being a solid feeling as I would like. I did fashion a shoulder pad for my left shoulder to more or less attach the bottom of the bell section to my shoulder. It helps tremendously in steadying the instrument.

ValveSlide wrote:I've played and worked on JinBao cimbassi with both Wessex and Schiller engravings. They were the exact same instruments with the exact same build quality.

I agree. I'm just saying that if the instruments are identical, it comes down to who you're dealing with.

Does the looseness of the bottom bearings imply that the rotors have a radial play?

I haven’t encountered that problem because of this reason (only because of excessive wear), but my immediate reaction would be to turn a well known bad feature into an asset.

With some rotors, but not with all, it is possible to lock the rotors by tightening the bottom caps too hard.

Wouldn’t it steady the bottom bearing plate, if one took a washer of an appropriate size and thickness and laid it around the bearing before putting on the bottom cap. That way the bearing plate could be locked without the bottom cap touching the end of the rotor axle.

Klaus

The looseness of the bottom bearing for me has usually meant that there is back and to front movement of the rotor, translating to a bit of noise and also just bad form with regard to workmanship. I should applaud the Chinese for a modicum of precision in their machining. Once I was able to clear out the interfering crud, the tolerances were remarkable and things worked as they should. I suppose eventually I will have a certain amount of lime scale building up, but as I oil frequently, not just the bearing, but thinner regular valve oil down into the casing and rotar itself, this will likely not be for some time. I've seen older worn rotor bearings that could benefit from swedging to tighten up the play. This type of wear can only be expected. Oiling helps and it is foolish to ignore it.

Not riding any high moral horse as I myself have posted cash to German, although in much smaller quantities:

It is illegal to post bank notes of any currency to Germany. If done in a registered letter, it is very likely to be detected. The money will be confiscated by the German state with zero judicial options of getting it back. You will expose yourself to investigations for drugs and now also terror.

I sent the money in unregistered letters, which had a calculated risk of being pilfered by any human link in the postal chain. My letters went through and I got my small eBay wins.

Klaus

I just recently purchased a .728 (18.5 mm, to be exact) rotor from Meinlschmidt - IIRC, it was about $200 USD.

As for transferring the money, these guys are by far the best bargain:

https://transferwise.com/us/" target="_blank

Currently, their exchange rate to the euro is .8957, with a $3 fee.

I just looked up today's exchange rate, and it is .90, so it appears all they are making on the transaction is the $3 fee......

FWIW

What about finding two thrashed fibreglass sousaphones with the old Conn standard bore of around 0.730". Arranging the rebuilt valves as 4+2 pistons for giving the same fingerings as a 4+2 B&S F tuba?

Klaus

imperialbari wrote:Not riding any high moral horse as I myself have posted cash to German, although in much smaller quantities:

It is illegal to post bank notes of any currency to Germany. If done in a registered letter, it is very likely to be detected. The money will be confiscated by the German state with zero judicial options of getting it back. You will expose yourself to investigations for drugs and now also terror.

I sent the money in unregistered letters, which had a calculated risk of being pilfered by any human link in the postal chain. My letters went through and I got my small eBay wins.

Klaus

You gotta go big.

Just roll up there with a plane load of dolla bills.

Ransom??

Laundered money??

It's all who you know!!

Laugh as you like!

But then don’t whine here, if you loose your money in a German postal check-up. The registered letters will all be scanned and wrapping the bills in tin foil is guaranteed to draw attention. And you may be as clean as you want in any criminal record, you won’t get your money back.

Tin foil can be sensed by the fingers of the postal workers handling the unregistered mail and hence also draw the attention of ill-willed people. I took pages from the local glossy grocery ad leaflets and wrapped the bills, so that the envelope couldn’t be looked through even with a strong lamp.

Klaus

Ed.: This posting was written before I saw bloke’s post right above here, so no reference to him.