Tuning Woes

[Kory101]

Hey all,

I've had my HB-50 for about 5 months now and I'm having some tuning issues with it. It almost seems no matter how far I pull my main slide, Middle space C's and the G below it are sharp. Sometimes up to 20 cents. I haven't taken this horn in for any kind of maintenance or anything yet. Do you think it could be a valve alignment problem? Granted I don't know much about valve alignments, but that strikes me as a possibility. Anyone else? Thoughts?

Thanks very much
Kory

[tubashaman2]

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[Kory101]

I play on a SH-II. I have no idea if it's an American or Euro Shank. Anyone know how I can tell?

[tubashaman2]

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[pierso20]

I play on a SH-II. I have no idea if it's an American or Euro Shank. Anyone know how I can tell?

One way to tell if it's the correct size is just to see how much of you rmpc goes into it. If it's swallowed up or barely fits then it's definitely a mpc problem.

Do you have any different mpc's to just try out and see if it solves the problem?

[Kory101]

The horn was cleaned but that was it. Sorry for not being clear about that.

How do I tell what shank of mouthpiece it takes?

There is nobody in my area right now, but I'm heading out east to Toronto to play with an Orchestra for the remainder of the summer. While there I will take in to Ron Partch but I thought I'd ask the board and its infinite wisdom

[Matt G]

One thing to remember is the origin of the horn's design. This sounds fairly consistent with horns of that size and design.

There are some adjustments that can be made in terms of mouthpiece selection, and IIRC they might be slightly counter-intuitive. In other words, a shallower mouthpiece might bring that pitch issue down. Also the shape maybe an issue. Maybe a "Geib" style cup would help? Seriously, the Blokepiece might also be a good choice also.

[imperialbari]

Not being in the Yorkbrunner business I still have this question out of general tuba interest:

The open 3rd and 4th partial are told to be sharp. Does this also go for the fingered derivatives of these open partials?

Isn’t the SH-II on the smaller side in all dimensions? Have the Conn variants been tried out? They would be commonly available. The blokepiece is built on very different ideas, which have worked also on surprisingly large tubas. Sadly its two variants hardly can be said to be commonly available for try-outs.

Klaus

[Dean E]

I have to use a sousaphone tuning bit on my Wilson 3050 CC. I sometimes have to use two tuning bits for outside gigs in the summer when the temperature is over 90 deg F.

Get that C in tune, then work on the valve slides.

[TUBAD83]

I have to use a sousaphone tuning bit on my Wilson 3050 CC. I sometimes have to use two tuning bits for outside gigs in the summer when the temperature is over 90 deg F.

Get that C in tune, then work on the valve slides.

Dean is "right on the money"--I had the same problem with my horn and learned about using a sousaphone tuning bit from this very forum. I use one tuning bit and problem cleared up immediately--so give it a shot.

JJ

[Kory101]

Can someone point me in the direction of these bits? I've never heard of them before.

Thanks
Kory

[Kevin Hendrick]

Can someone point me in the direction of these bits? I've never heard of them before.

Thanks
Kory

You picked a good time to ask:

http://cgi.ebay.com/SOUSAPHONE-BITS-SOU ... 7C294%3A50

[imperialbari]

Can someone point me in the direction of these bits? I've never heard of them before.

Thanks
Kory

You picked a good time to ask:

http://cgi.ebay.com/SOUSAPHONE-BITS-SOU ... 7C294%3A50

Better go for new bits from Conn. I once bought an odd lot. Reality had a remote resemblance to the photos.

Klaus

[Kevin Hendrick]

Can someone point me in the direction of these bits? I've never heard of them before.

Thanks
Kory

You picked a good time to ask:

http://cgi.ebay.com/SOUSAPHONE-BITS-SOU ... 7C294%3A50

Better go for new bits from Conn. I once bought an odd lot. Reality had a remote resemblance to the photos.

Klaus

That sounds like a better option.

[Dean E]

Can someone point me in the direction of these bits? I've never heard of them before.

I bought mine from Tubatinker for a project horn. He even took them for silver plating.

There are a variety of tapers, so one would find expert advice helpful before buying.

Since I am name-dropping, Roger Lewis at Woodwind Brasswind has a wonderful reputation for recommending mouthpieces to suit individual needs.

[Kory101]

Hey everyone,

Just thought i would attach a picture to see if it sheds any light on the situation.

The picture is looking down into my main tuning slide that goes directly into the rotary valve. I am not pushing down the rotary valve in this picture. Is this how it is supposed to look?

Cheers,
Kory

[TUBAD83]

Hey everyone,

Just thought i would attach a picture to see if it sheds any light on the situation.

The picture is looking down into my main tuning slide that goes directly into the rotary valve. I am not pushing down the rotary valve in this picture. Is this how it is supposed to look?

Cheers,
Kory

No it should not look like that--that is definitely an alignment problem and you should take it to the tech man asap for proper aligning.

JJ

[Mark E. Chachich]

Without seeing your tuba this is simply my best guess after looking at the photograph. If this is not the problem you need to take the tuba to an excellent tech.

Unscrew the rotory valve cap and look at the alignment marks on the bearing and bearing sleeve. If they do not line up in the open and engaged positions most likely you need to adjust the bumpers. Get someone that knows about rotary valves to show you how to cut and fit the bumpers correctly in order to get the valve to line up with the ports. It is a simple procedure once you know what you are doing.

good luck,
Mark

[Kory101]

So it should look completely flush? By looking at that picture that would explain the sharpness on those open notes I've been having?

[Mark E. Chachich]

It should be flush and allow the air to pass through the valve with minimum interference. This may not be the only problem with your tuba. If this is what is wrong it is fairly easy to fix.
Also, feel free to PM me.

best,
Mark