Tuba complete overhaul

[mlorrison911]

Ive got a Conn 25J upright that im wanting to get redone to look brand new. Anyone have any suggestions? ive heard lee stofer is really good. when i say complete overhaul i mean i want this horn to look like it did when it can from the conn factory in the 60's... lol crazy huh. thanks all info is appreciated!~

[TheHatTuba]

Ive got a Conn 25J upright that im wanting to get redone to look brand new. Anyone have any suggestions? ive heard lee stofer is really good. when i say complete overhaul i mean i want this horn to look like it did when it can from the conn factory in the 60's... lol crazy huh. thanks all info is appreciated!~

http://www.oberloh.com/" target="_blank

[Tundratubast]

Howdy,

Contact Tayler Music in Aberdeen,SD at 1-800-872-2263. Talk to Bryant Kolb, Brass Repair Manager. Get the Pro overhaul versus the Econo job. Good work and reasonable priced.

Tundratubast
Dave Johnson

[joh_tuba]

1) Where are you located? That will affect the suggestions.
2) You might decide that you aren't willing to pay to have it done properly. Particularly if it was originally silver and you want it shiny silver again. Anderson plating's prices have shot through the roof as the price of silver has increased dramatically the last few years.
3) Unsolicited advise: You are crazy. You'll put a new dent in it again a month after you get it back anyhow. It's not worth the heartache. Also, the buffing required to make a horn look factory new invariably removes metal making it dent easier in the future. If you need a valve job or major dents removed do that. If you feel that there are assembly errors in the horn that need remedied have the horn pulled apart and put together properly. But beyond that you are just throwing away money.
4) Good luck and be sure to post lots of before and after pics so we can all drool!

[The Big Ben]

Ive got a Conn 25J upright that im wanting to get redone to look brand new. Anyone have any suggestions? ive heard lee stofer is really good. when i say complete overhaul i mean i want this horn to look like it did when it can from the conn factory in the 60's... lol crazy huh. thanks all info is appreciated!~

Not crazy at all. It's your horn and what you do with it is your business. Lee Stofer turns out really nice work and Dan Oberloh does also. Oberloh is knee deep in work and it might take a year if he would take on the job. I have seen pictures of the work Harv Hartman has done and it looks pretty good. A number of his customers on this board speak highly of him. Search on his name for contact info.

[Dan Schultz]

....
3) Unsolicited advise: You are crazy. You'll put a new dent in it again a month after you get it back anyhow. It's not worth the heartache. Also, the buffing required to make a horn look factory new invariably removes metal making it dent easier in the future. If you need a valve job or major dents removed do that. If you feel that there are assembly errors in the horn that need remedied have the horn pulled apart and put together properly. But beyond that you are just throwing away money....

This is very good advice. But... if you're really serious about this... just plunk down $3,500 to $4,000 and send the horn off to Phillips Music Corporation in Kirkwood, MO. They do descent work but rest assured that the horn you send won't be the same as the one you get back. Aside from being bright and shiny... the metal will be thinner depending on how much buffing and grinding is done to get rid of scratches.

I've heard of shops layering on copper to fill scratches but in any case... the horn won't be the same as the one you sent.

[rodgeman]

I had a Conn 20J I bought on ebay. It was not in great shape. I had all of the dents removed, the horn chem cleaned, and a new leadpipe put on after a overhaul. I considered getting the horn stripped. The shop doing the work advised against it as it would make the metal thinner. I played it scratched and worn but it had character and the sound was what I wanted.

I would suggest not getting the lacquer redone on the whole horn maybe just the bell.

Just my 2 cents.

Enjoy the horn!