I know that the newer F. Schmidt tubas are VMI stencils, but does anyone know anything about horns from the original F. Schmidt company? I purchased an old B flat (may have seen at the BBC) and it is turning out to be a GREAT horn after some valve work and a chem dip. It appears to be at least 35-40 years old. It has the same feel as an old alex 163 BB I used to have. Nice and Dark. Now if I can just get rid of the old clock work valves!
Thanks for any insight!
Also, I just purchased a hand built horn of some sort on (as we say here) that web site, and was curious if anyone knows the creator? Check out gurus, what the heck is this on the e*** section.
Paul 'building an intersting collection of unknowns' Weissenborn
Paul Weissenborn
St. Joseph Symphony Orchestra (MO)
Spirit of Independence Band
SJSO Quintet
Alex 163 CC
YEB 321S
Possibly the best solution to get rid of those clock work valves would be to just contact a repair person who can get you a new Mirafone spatula set with the braces and crossbar. This might be modified to fit your horn fairly easily. As for the linkages, just use some Dubro brand radio control parts to make up the arms and ball ends.
As to that horn you picked up on ebay, I would say the best thing is to take some really good photos of it when you receive it and post them on here. Then our panel of "experts" could possibly better ascertain what that horn is comprised of. I'm willing to guess that "bloke" is right, but the proof is in the pudding.
Why do you want to get rid of the clocksprings? If they're broken or sluggish, they're easy enough to fix. A good clockspring setup usually is much preferable to the helical-would wire springs. It's about the closest thing you can get to a constant-force spring; it's sealed and should last nearly forever.
Clocksprings used to be higher-priced option on some European tubas.
bigboymusic wrote:Maybe when the valves are finally finished and ready to go, I will like the feel. The throw is just a bit longer than my Alex.
The throw is usually a bit shorter with clock springs. The length of the spatula compared to the length of the lever between the shaft and the S-link is what controls throw. My B&S F tuba has clock springs, and they have as short a throw as my Miraphone, and a better feel.
I'm with Chuck: Make the clock springs work rather than replacing them. That doesn't at all prevent you from replacing the linkages, as shown below:
I wish I had the horn here for pictures. Now, they may be different once fixed by our tech here, but they were loose and had a pretty good distance on them. I will also admit that the alex I use has a very short throw. I have a feeling you are right Rick (as always), once this horn is finished, I will probably really like the set up.
Paul
Paul Weissenborn
St. Joseph Symphony Orchestra (MO)
Spirit of Independence Band
SJSO Quintet
Alex 163 CC
YEB 321S
