186/188 owners: 5th valve question...

[jon112780]

Has anyone cut the long (23) 5th valve slide to a flat 1? I'm not close to anybody that has a 186/188 (that I know of) to look at the back of the horn to see what might happen...

I always like the sound of these horns, but would rather buy used (cheaper), and the older ones don't have the flat 1 (5th valve) I prefer.

Just curious as to how easily (inexpensively) it could be done.

[jtuba]

I've got a 184 with the 23 fifth valve configuration. I thought it would be difficult to deal with. Turns out it's pretty easy to use. My F has a tritone fifth valve, so I guess unconventional figurings come easy for me. Leave the horn the way it is is my suggestion.

[cjk]

Here's a picture of my 184 CC which has had the 5th cut to a flat whole step using no new parts and even reusing the original brace mounting spot.

viewtopic.php?t=17500&

[JB]

Has anyone cut the long (23) 5th valve slide to a flat 1? I'm not close to anybody that has a 186/188 (that I know of) to look at the back of the horn to see what might happen...

I always like the sound of these horns, but would rather buy used (cheaper), and the older ones don't have the flat 1 (5th valve) I prefer.

Just curious as to how easily (inexpensively) it could be done.

I did this to my old 186, and it worked out perfectly. Once I switched to the "other" 5th valve configuration, I wanted my Miraphone to match. Thus, the reason for the switch.

Not expensive to do at all, as I used the existing tubing from the cut down length. All I had to do was order a couple of extra knuckles to create the change in slide configuration (I changed the layout, and made a 5th slide similar to the shape found on rotary Hirsbrunners), and a few bucks for the repair tech to carry out the work (in this case, Gerry at Desert Winds in Tempe, close to ASU).

[TexTuba]

Now I know this may not be the popular choice, but I love the 2-3 valve. Sure, you can't really use those Bb fingerings, but the intonation of the low register is spot on. Good luck either way!

Ralph

[MartyNeilan]

Lee Stofer cut the 5th valve on my 1290 from a 2 step to a flat wholestep. Due to the way they had things routed, it improved the low register response on that horn. However, he also did a lot of other work at the sime time, so it is hard to say what did what. A 186/188 may have a less obstructive 5th valve wrap, though.