A few months ago I went to Baltimore Brass to get my MW 2145 chem cleaned and some dents out. When i got in there, I was offered to try the new Baltimore Brass Valve Alignment (done by Albert Houde). I figured what the heck, Albert has always been good to my tubas.
When it came time for me to pick my 2145 up later that day, i found that nothing could have prepared me for the way my tuba played after the alignment. At this point, it has been about 2 months, and i am still extremely satisfied with Albert's work.
I really think everyone should get this valve alignment. Not only is Albert's work so precise, but it is at an excellent price (don't quote me, but i'm pretty sure it is $15 less than your average valve alignment-per valve).
I emailed Albert and got a run down of this alignment, so you and I can both better understand what makes it so great.
"I do a visual inspection of the action for each valve, then cut chemical-resistant pads to fit, including shims for small adjustments to fine tune each stroke to be as accurate as possible. The materials were chosen to make the strokes as precise as possible, as well. Of course, no valve alignment can be perfect, given variances in manufacturing, but I strive to make them "shoot the gap" as much as possible. If a valve guide is misplaced by several degrees, I'll correct its placement if possible. Another "imperfection" is that the more accurate the stroke is going to be, the harder the materials have to be. Harder materials = valves that clank. So you have to find a good mix of mostly accurate, good feel, and durability. I think we found that with our materials."
-Alberti Houde, BBC
