Project With York Tuba Pics added

[CNCBrass]

Okay, so I know that I will have to add tubing to bring the pitch down. As is, it plays at about B natural. I will experiment using a rubber hose in an attempt to get an approximation of how much tubing I will need to add. In my mind I have a couple of options.

Option 1: I could add a loop after the 4th valve similar to what is done on instruments that are set up with the high/low pitch tuning options.

Option 2: Add a loop in the lead pipe such as is frequently seen on some of the older instruments.

Can anyone speak as to which option may be more successful? By successful I mean sound and intonation wise. If you were doing this which way would you choose and why?

Thanks,
DH

[SousaSaver]

You could make a new mouth pipe with extra length in it, with a tuning slide in the pipe before it reaches the valve block, like some older Tubas. This isn't very elegant, but it works.

You could add length by making a custom tuning slide crook by doubling the slide back on itself using two smaller crooks - like this:



Adding a loop after the 4th valve would be a bit more tricky, but isn't impossible. I think your particular King has soldered in knuckles on the valve casings, so you could easily move things around if adding a 4th valve loop is the way you want to go.

(PS - The picture is from Harvey Hartman's blog)

[Art Hovey]

Here's mine:


You might want to take a close look at a King 2341 to see how they lengthened the main tuning slide to compensate for shortening the bell of the older, taller Kings.

[imperialbari]

Some people didn't think it would work out that well, but I can tell you, this is a great horn! It's built from a Mirafone 186 BBb and York Monster Eb. I've used this horn on several recitals (great Hindemith horn) and a couple times in smaller orchestra situations:



Built by Tim Owens (now a repair man near Newport News, VA).

--T. J.

Which pitch?

Klaus

[Frank Ortega]

Art,

What size bore and brand is that valve set? I've been wondering how well a .750 bore would work on the Model 33 sized instruments. The 700 series has a slower/thinner taper and taller bell, but a .750 bore. Has anyone tried this combo?

Frank Ortega

[Art Hovey]

It's a Mirafone 1271 valve set, with the 4th valve tubing re-routed. Now Mirafone make a 1272 model which is an improved version. Matt Walters can tell you more about it. I don't remember the exact bore size, but it's over .700" with a slightly larger 4th valve tubing. Going to a larger-bore valve set and leadpipe and tuning slide and first bow did not change the intonation quirks of the horn, but did make it a lot more fun to play.

[CNCBrass]

I have been meaning to take the time to post an update. I was able to get everything assembled in time to take this to Tuba Christmas. I figured that would be a safe place to try this out and see how well it would blend with others as well. It worked out well.

It took some building up of courage, but I have recently used it in Wind Ensemble rehearsal. Lots of very courious looks. It works very well in this environment. As a matter of fact, the director made a comment about how well in tune the lower brass and woodwind section was on some very exposed parts.

This was a very fun project. The results have exceeded my expectations. My goal was to create a usable horn as a novelty. I ended up with something that can be used in more situations than I was initially hoping for.

It took some time to figure out the best way to add the extra tubing length that was needed due to the shorter bell. This was partially because all I had for supplies was from the original horns. I do not have a scrap bin of tuba components. I actually had fun locating the leadpipe in a position that was comfortable with the horn sitting on my lap. I dropped the leadpipe off at a repair shop to get most of the dents removed and then did the bending myself.

If I decide to keep this horn, I have a few things that need some tweaking. A couple of slides, although are ot stuck, need some work for ease of movement on the fly. I would like to get all of the right valve buttons as alignment is challenging with 3 different types currently installed. I would like to replace the thumbring with one made from tubing. And finally a couple of additional water keys.

If I knew how this was going to turn out, I would have spent more time removing some of the dents and trying my hand at rolling some of the dents on the bell. I could do this now with the one I can reach, but it would be easier to handle the horn in smaller sections before assembly.

Lots of fun. I will be doing this again.

DH

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[CNCBrass]

More Pictures.

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[T. J. Ricer]

Some people didn't think it would work out that well, but I can tell you, this is a great horn! It's built from a Mirafone 186 BBb and York Monster Eb. I've used this horn on several recitals (great Hindemith horn) and a couple times in smaller orchestra situations:



Built by Tim Owens (now a repair man near Newport News, VA).

--T. J.

Which pitch?

Klaus

This one is in CC