comparitive dimensions needed

[Ken Herrick]

I'm hoping to have Joe make me some "felts" to suit a Besson 992. We need to ascertain the correct thickness. I haven't any decent measuring gear anymore nor ready access to a pair of horns to make a comparison, sooooooooo......

Can anybody verify if the 992 would require the same thickness "felts" as an Imperial? Joe has an imperial available available for measuring.

Thanks in advance.

Ken

[imperialbari]

Very few, aside from the better repairmen, are experienced in doing the necessary measurements. I have a caliper with digital reading, and I am not foreign to math and calculus. My BBb comper is a Besson New Standard. blokes sample is a B&H Imperial. I took the chance and counted on Besson/B&H’s unwillingness to invest in new tools. I haven’t received my blokewashers yet, as they will follow a larger order in the making.

As a sample of the steadiness in dimensions I can mention the slides of my 1923 Boosey F comper and my 1999 Besson 981 Eb comper. The slides would have been exchangeable if there hadn’t been minor differences in their alignments (and lengths, of course).

Denis Wick tells a funny story here:

http://www.deniswick.com/product.cfm?id=380

(2nd paragraph)

In you situation I would take the chance and order blokewashers like those for bloke’s sample.

If they do not fit, it should be possible to sell them to a tubist with the older model.

Klaus

[Ken Herrick]

Thanks, Klaus,

What you say matches with what AndyCat told me in an email today. With the 2 of you coming up with the same answer it sounds pretty safe.

Probably anybody with B&H, Besson and I would about bet the new York and LMI instruments would be able to use the same ones. That might save Joe a bit of measuring in future.

Don't think you would find many others who would even consider making the effort of ensuring a "custom" part would be right at his prices. Good on ya Joe...

[imperialbari]

I am not so sure about the Yorks being exactly the same. According to a Norwegian repairman owning and playing a York 3+1 Eb comper Keilwerth got a new supplier after the split with Besson. That implies that all sheet metal now comes in metric thicknesses which happen to be slightly smaller than the old ones in Imperial dimensions.

Klaus

[Ken Herrick]

Klaus, your comment about the change in supplier of brass sheet is quite interesting. Maybe this is part of the reason AndyCat found the new York to not have as nice a sound as his older Imp.

After a week with the 992 I'm not completely sold on it. I plan to try some damping as it seems to be wanting to shake itself to pieces. I wish I still had my repair gear as I suspect that some repairs done previously might not have been too good. This particular one was imported to Aus from UK "used" and repaired some years ago.

It is, for me, a very uncomfortable instrument as the mp still comes out too high for me to set the horn on the chair. Maybe I am just getting a bit old and beat up for man-handling these beasts. Think I might have to try to work work a deal with another band about 80km from here which generally has not had a player to use a nice Eb Imp 4 banger which I used for a while when I lived there about 7 years ago. Then again, I used to have fun pulling out the little 3/4 3v non comp Eb they had tucked away. It was like playing a eupho and with a 4th valve would have made a niice solo or quintet horn. Hmmmmm. maybe I could just rent it from them and not need to drive hundreds of km to get something a little more comfortable.

I must admit that I am rather envious of todays young players who, in many places, have such a wide range of instruments available and at comparatively reasonable prices. I often drool when looking at the for sale page and store ads. (Or is it just that old tuba players naturally drool a lot?)
I have been comparing prices and find that what sells for $6000 in the US is likely to be $15,000 to $20,000 here in Oz. Dealers could buy at retail from a US dealer and sell here and make a good profit by selling at 1/2 the price they want.

Maybe I should have made this a personal email rather than clutter up the board but maybe somebody else might be slightly interested in something here and in any case all are free to totally ignore anything I might say!!

[imperialbari]

If your 992 rattles, I would have a strong suspicion, that a soldering has broken.

The British compensators that I have come by, and I have 5 of them, have been very stiff as long as all soldering was intact.

From your description I would look first at the stays connecting the bell to the branches and at the bell ferrule.

Klaus