EBAY ALERT !!!!!

[bloke]

Buy this for a winning bid of $1000 (??) incl. shipping, buy another $1500 of parts (mouthpipe/bell/bottom bow cap/keel, other stuff...), pay someone at least $3000 to assemble it, take out all of the dents, refit the rotors, straighten the linkage, strip the lacquer, polish, and relacquer it...Buy a $200 - $350 bag for it...

...and you'll have a nice tuba...maybe worth $3500.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MIRAFONE-4-VALVE-ROTARY-TUBA-FOR-PARTS-OR-REPAIR-/160827081564

[TubaTinker]

Yup. The cosmetic things are usually the easiest to fix. I stock new 'clone' bells and can easily strip the lacquer and bang out the dents.

However... the condition of the valves is pretty much a crap-shoot. A couple of bad repairs to the rotor stems can make for a real disappointing purchase.

[Donn]

Yeah, cosmetics are a little lacking, could use a few passes with the old dent magnets. It's nice that the rim has been outfitted with a rubber guard, to prevent further injury to innocent high school students. I am not sure the information is correct, though: "surplus high school band instrument (Miraphone 4 valve trumpet)"

[bloke]

If I'm going to put a Chinese bell on it, I'm probably just going to buy a Chinese clone (new everything) for $1800.

I'm always fascinated, though, to see just how much people are willing to pay for stuff like this (that needs thousands of dollars of restoration).

[TubaTinker]

If I'm going to put a Chinese bell on it, I'm probably just going to buy a Chinese clone (new everything) for $1800.

I'm always fascinated, though, to see just how much people are willing to pay for stuff like this (that needs thousands of dollars of restoration).

Joe... don't 'short-change' the Asian bells. I'd much rather have a Chinese bell and German rotors than a German bell and Chinese rotors!