Bell replacement questions.

[tubafatness]

I am currently in the process of gathering information about replacing the bell on my Rudy 4/4 CC tuba, but I can't find that much out there. I've tried contacting Rudolf Meinl itself (or themselves), but it doesn't seem like there is an easy way to do that. What I'm mainly interested in is both the cost of replacing the bell and where I would look to order a new bell. I've thought about the possibility of getting a bell from some tuba builder other than Rudy Meinl, but I don't know if that is feasible cost-wise or if the bell would even fit properly. I need a new bell because the current one was crushed in about a year ago, and has never recovered. It's gotten to the point where there are always large wrinkles and dents all along the front and back of the bell. If it helps, the diameter at the top is 18", with the circumference at the bottom ring being roughly 17-18". Any help on this would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Aaron Hynds

[cjk]

Call them:


Or use this form to email them:
http://rudolf-meinl.t3-kundenserver.de/mail.html

Or find a repairman that's actually good. I'd be willing to bet that a really good repairman could fix it pretty well.

[The Big Ben]

Call them:


Or use this form to email them:
http://rudolf-meinl.t3-kundenserver.de/mail.html

Or find a repairman that's actually good. I'd be willing to bet that a really good repairman could fix it pretty well.

Agreed here. Have a look at Dan O's site:

http://www.oberloh.com and look in the "Economy Tuba Repair" and you will see some nasty bells that were corrected.

Seems the OP is in Illinois so would have to ship. Perhaps there is a good repair person within reasonable driving distance. Dan is good but there are others.

Can the group help?

Jeff

[tubafatness]

Thanks for the advice. I've actually had some major repair-work on the bell about four times now. Two of those jobs were done by a great repairman named Carl Thacker, who lives in Bloomington, IL. Even though I've had the bell repaired so many times, the dents and wide wrinkles are still ever-present. There are two patches on the bell, one of which is in the middle of a crease which has never gone away. The thing I forgot to say is that the bell-crumpling accident has actually happened more than once. First an amp was dropped on it, then a 100-lb dog fell onto it, then I fell onto it. So it has seen its fair share of repairs. The local repairman has done some cursory bell-rolling on it close to three times now, and we both agree that the most effective way to fix this problem is to just replace the bell. Also, the bell has started to distort the resonance of the horn a little, which I am not at all happy about. To make things complicated, the tuba is from the early-to-mid 80's, which might make getting a new bell a little difficult. Any way, thanks for all the helpful replies.
Aaron Hynds

[The Big Ben]

Not sure where you are in relation to Newburgh, IN, but Dan Schultz, who posts here, can do lots of things which seem impossible.

http://www.thevillagetinker.com/

Jeff

[Rick Denney]

I am currently in the process of gathering information about replacing the bell on my Rudy 4/4 CC tuba, but I can't find that much out there.

Call Lee Stofer. Not only is he a gifted repair tech who will take extraordinary care of your dollars, but he also has a good and current relationship with Rudolf Meinl.

Rick "who doesn't speak German" Denney