TubeNet

bloke wrote:If you're seeking a really high-grade 191 copy, there is a new beautiful (lacquered, etc...) PROTOTYPE JP (gold brass & nickel silver - as their top models tend to be) copy (with JP's superb rotors, superb linkage with Minibal links, etc.) collecting dust.

bloke wrote:No. That's not it.
They obviously switched over to the cranked-out-in-the-many-thousands Jinbao model 200.

Here it ~WAS~...

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/brass-in ... 4-bbb-tuba

bloke wrote:A previous suburban middle school band director bought three of those several years ago (bragging about how much money he saved...), and the current director (who had been the assistant at the adjacent high school) had to hand them to me to get the rotors turning again and to replace a bunch of broken links and link action arms.

Even when the previous director was still at that school, he had to order some (real) cases from me to replace the included cases. Kudos to the importers/manufacturers who - bit-by-bit - are moving over to "real" cases for their tubas.

Dan Tuba wrote:Depending on how often you perform or practice, the "recipe" is as follows:
1-2 times per week oil both spindles on each rotor w/the appropriate oil(I use 3&1 Oil, and it seems to work fine...at least for the past few years)
1-2 times per week remove the main tuning slide and poor a "generous" amount of "valve" oil through the tuba(hold the 4th valve down,then release while holding the 3rd valve down...), paying careful attention not to "flush" tuning slide grease into the rotors.
1-2 times per week oil the ball joints w/the appropriate oil(3&1 works for me, plenty of others to choose)
1-2 times per week oil the spring/ bearing at the base of the paddles. Make sure to pull the spring back slightly on each paddle to ensure oil is applied to all moving parts.

***After each performance or practice session, be sure to empty all slides.

This process has worked for me. Yes, it takes time, but it usually keeps the tuba working well. From my experience, synthetic oils don't work as well on Chinese rotors as conventional oils. Especially if the tuba is not played on a regular basis. However, synthetic oils may work fine for you. I hope this helps.

Dan Tuba wrote:
Depending on how often you perform or practice, the "recipe" is as follows:
1-2 times per week oil both spindles on each rotor w/the appropriate oil(I use 3&1 Oil, and it seems to work fine...at least for the past few years)
1-2 times per week remove the main tuning slide and poor a "generous" amount of "valve" oil through the tuba(hold the 4th valve down,then release while holding the 3rd valve down...), paying careful attention not to "flush" tuning slide grease into the rotors.
1-2 times per week oil the ball joints w/the appropriate oil(3&1 works for me, plenty of others to choose)
1-2 times per week oil the spring/ bearing at the base of the paddles. Make sure to pull the spring back slightly on each paddle to ensure oil is applied to all moving parts.

***After each performance or practice session, be sure to empty all slides.

This process has worked for me. Yes, it takes time, but it usually keeps the tuba working well. From my experience, synthetic oils don't work as well on Chinese rotors as conventional oils. Especially if the tuba is not played on a regular basis. However, synthetic oils may work fine for you. I hope this helps.


Just curious but this sounds like standard maintenance to me. No matter what brand of tuba i have owned or currently own, i have always done this. This brings me to my question, what is the frequency one should oil a tuba, made in China vs made in Germany? To me, you can not oil enough. JMHO
Tom McGrady