Worst factory defect you've found?

[djwesp]

I've had a horn for about two years now and it has ALWAYS been a dog of a player. I've spent the majority of my time on my other horn, mostly because this horn was such a hassle to deal with.

SOOO, I took it in for a ultrasonic cleaning. When my brass guy takes it out of the bath, he notices that each tube that enters each valve leaks water. The valve section had NOT been soldered in. The braces that hold it in were, but each tube was solderless.

I purchased the instrument NEW from a reputable dealer. It amazes me that I could drop so much money into an instrument and have this happen.


What's the worst thing you repair guys have seen?

[UDELBR]

A nasty burr hole on the inside of a spitvalve hole on my HB2P. Also on the same instrument, a bore mismatch in the main tuning slide, but filled up with solder.

That said, Hirsbrunners are by far the shiniest tubas around.

[Roger Lewis]

brand new horn, right out of the box, in a dimly lit room. I coudn't get the mouthpiece into the horn to play test it. After turning on the lights it seems that, after bending the leadpipe, the "pitch" used in the bending process had not been removed before soldering the leadpipe onto the horn.

Manufacturer to remain nameless - once in a life time occurrence.

Peace.
Roger

[Rick Denney]

I bought a demo Sanders/Cerveny back in the middle 80's. It was in excellent condition, but had seen service as a demonstrator, and the famous tuba endorser who sold it to me claimed to have play-tested it and thought it a particularly good example.

It arrived with a large gap in the solder where the second valve branch went into the valve knuckle. It sounded like an open water key on that valve--unmistakably a large leak.

No wonder people didn't think much of that brand, if that tuba had represented it for a whole year.

I filled the gap with five-minute epoxy to keep from ruining the lacquer, using a pull on the slide to draw it into the joint. It worked fine for many years after that. It was a pretty good tuba except that the brass was soft and would dent if you breathed on it with bad breath.

Rick "figuring the play test involved only the open bugle" Denney

[The Big Ben]

It was a pretty good tuba except that the brass was soft and would dent if you breathed on it with bad breath.

You could have solved *that* problem by brushing your teeth.

Jeff "Here's To Better Oral Hygiene" Benedict

[WakinAZ]

New model King 2341. One of the downward facing slides was blocked from normal removal by other tubing. I had to remove the removable valve block and hack saw the slide.

Somewhere out there there is a King 2341 with a slide that is about 1" too short. The cut-off tubing now serves as a wheel spacer on the axle of my wheelbarrow.

Of all the horns I've been through since I came back to playing, that one ranks dead last...

[Rick Denney]

It was a pretty good tuba except that the brass was soft and would dent if you breathed on it with bad breath.

You could have solved *that* problem by brushing your teeth.

I said if "you" breathed on it, not if "I" breathed on it. The dents in that tuba came from the trombone section.

Rick "careful with words" Denney

[josh wagner]

My first slide on a horn i have is just a little bent when i purchased it, Didn't notice it until i got it home and had a friend of mine (a repair tech) look over it and she noticed it. But the place in which i purchased it is working on taking care of the problem and sending me a replacement slide.

[andrew the tuba player]

One thing ive noticed. Not very many of these are German. I know they're said to play better and my Kalsion is a beast when it comes to durablity, But as far as that goes how do German horns rank next to American? I know alot has to do with the particular instrument. My mirafone was real easy to dent and scratch. Just wonderin. (BTW I'm not trying to brag on German Horns. The conn 20j and 20k i play are both the strongest horns I've seen.)

[Roger Lewis]

Dalyan F tubas came in with the 5th valve reversed. Since it was a major 3rd 5th valve, the open horn played in Db. On one of them the bell had never been soldered on either. Playred pretty well once the corrections were made.

Peace.
Roger