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I just purchased a Wessex Berg F Tuba, and am very satisfied with the horn, one of the best F tubas I have ever played. I have a few questions and am just wanting to know if anyone else has had these experiences...

The valves have a gritty sound to them, almost like there's dust or residue left inside the horn from the factory. I know a chemical cleaning will alleviate this problem.

The biggest problem I've had is that the main tuning slide moves WAYYY to smoothly, much to the point of falling out after a few notes have been played on it. Is there anything I can do to correct this problem myself or can an instrument repairman fix this issue? I really don't want to send the horn back to Wessex to get the issue fixed unless I really have to. Thanks in advance for your help!

I actually did and the slide still wants to move, particularly when I play an A, first space. I also tried some Hetmans and Fat Cat Grease, no luck. I had to order some rotary oil and new slide grease yesterday from Monster Oils so I'm going to give that a try. The Monster Oil website says it's pretty thick but it's kind of a shot in the dark. I'm open to anything to try and get it fixed. Like I said above, I really don't want to send the horn back to England to get the issue resolved, it plays so well. Thanks for your reply!

My EEb has loose slides so I put Lanolin on it and just slowly dilute it with valve oil to thin it out. (by trial and error)

For a tuba that's almost 40 years old, its a decent comprise, but for a brand new tuba, I'd follow Mark's advice.

Hi,
First of all, I have a Berg. While I didn't have the same issue as you, Jonathon was very cooperative in getting them resolved and did cover the expense. Secondly, I use the Monster products and the slide grease is very thick; perhaps the thickest I've ever used. I can't use on my 1st valve slide but I do use on the main tuning slide. I think it should keep yours in place. Good luck and happy playing.
Pete

Mark Finley wrote:Contact Jonathan. I bet he'll cover the cost of a local repair. He did when my first contra had issues

That offer has already gone out by email