For the BAT and Conn Lovers

[TUbajohn20J]

First, I just wanted to brag on Mr. Borodi for a bit. George did a spectacular job overhauling my 1940 Conn 26J/27J. When I sent it to him it was ugly, had leaks, patches, a messed up leadpipe, and a mismatched old, discolored silver upright bell (which he stripped and polished to bright brass with new lacquer to match the horn all while keeping the original engraving). It looks and plays better than brand new now. With the dents removed and valves aligned perfectly, it is in tune. He even removed the ugly patches and filled the cracks in with metal. Every single day he sent me pictures and updates on the project keeping me well informed. He's a great guy with very fair prices and I would definitely recommend him. Yes, others on here do really great overhauls as well such as Mr. Stofer and Oberloh but I didn't want to burden them with this monster. It was a lot of work! But I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out so I wanted to share his work with you. Now I just need to find cases for it! Enjoy!







Yes the F at the bottom of the staff is perfectly in tune

[SousaWarrior9]

Wow! Absolutely stunning!

[b.williams]

How much did the work cost?

[Uncle Markie]

Terrific!

[Kirley]

Gorgeous!
I've got a serious case of horn envy.

[TUbajohn20J]

How much did the work cost?

I'll PM you

[edsel585960]

That is a beautiful rare BAT!

[bort]

That upright bell is HUGE. What a great looking tuba. How much does it weigh?

[TUbajohn20J]

Thanks y'all! I haven't put it to the scale yet I'll try to remember tomorrow. Just put her in the stand for the night. It's HEAVY

[TUbajohn20J]

That upright bell is HUGE. What a great looking tuba. How much does it weigh?

30.2 pounds. Not as bad as I thought!

[edsel585960]

That upright bell is HUGE. What a great looking tuba. How much does it weigh?

30.2 pounds. Not as bad as I thought!

Sounds about right. My 22J is about 23 LBS and you have an extra valve and tubing. Once again, BEAUTIFUL HORN !

[TUbajohn20J]

That upright bell is HUGE. What a great looking tuba. How much does it weigh?

30.2 pounds. Not as bad as I thought!

Sounds about right. My 22J is about 23 LBS and you have an extra valve and tubing. Once again, BEAUTIFUL HORN !

Thank you! I like your 22J. Gotta love these front valve Conn's

[TUbajohn20J]

show us some pictures of what it look like before the restoration please

BEFORE

[edsel585960]

If I ever decide to get the 22 redone I know where I'm taking it. They did a great job. Looks like a totally different horn.

[TUbajohn20J]

If I ever decide to get the 22 redone I know where I'm taking it. They did a great job. Looks like a totally different horn.

He would do a great job. It only took him 2 weeks once he got my horn in his shop. Good guy and quick but thorough work. Plays just as good as it looks. Good prices too.

Side note: sometimes I wish it was a 22J. False tones are almost spot on with the 3 bangers like yours and that extra 7 pounds of weight makes a lot of difference!

[edsel585960]

If I ever decide to get the 22 redone I know where I'm taking it. They did a great job. Looks like a totally different horn.

He would do a great job. It only took him 2 weeks once he got my horn in his shop. Good guy and quick but thorough work. Plays just as good as it looks. Good prices too.

Side note: sometimes I wish it was a 22J. False tones are almost spot on with the 3 bangers like yours and that extra 7 pounds of weight makes a lot of difference!

That's the main reason I sold the 24j. That little bit of extra weight makes a difference.

[Kirley]

You have enough wiggle room to get the low B and E in tune with 123?

I did a recording session recently with my 38K. One of the tunes was in F#-. Lots of F# and low B. Couldn't really have them both in tune at the same time. I was wishing I had brought the 40K instead. But my 38K sounds way better. Probably due to it being in much better condition.

If my 38K wasn't in such good original (unrestored) condition, I'd definitely consider having the 1st valve upper crook turned into a slide. I did that to my 22K. I know these front-action 2XJs are rare as hen's teeth but has anyone seen one with a reversed 1st valve slide? Could you even reach it?

[TUbajohn20J]

You have enough wiggle room to get the low B and E in tune with 123?...
If my 38K wasn't in such good original (unrestored) condition, I'd definitely consider having the 1st valve upper crook turned into a slide. I did that to my 22K. I know these front-action 2XJs are rare as hen's teeth but has anyone seen one with a reversed 1st valve slide? Could you even reach it?

I'd have to experiment with those notes with the tuner to see for sure. I typically use 2&4 for those notes and they're in tune. I haven't noticed anything funky yet with the 123 fingering though.

I can reach the top first valve loop if I reach through the top bow but it is a tight squeeze for me. Someone with even bigger arms would have trouble. You could probably reach over the top to grab it but that is way uncomfortable! I couldn't see myself doing that in a concert. To me, it is comfortable to reach through to grab it if it were a slide. BUT I wouldn't even think about getting that first valve loop converted to a slide because the tuba is pretty in tune with itself and with the 4th valve, I have plenty of options to get something in tune. If It had only 3 valves then I night consider getting it converted to a slide. It would be more comfortable to reach too, because one of the top branches is missing leaving you a lot more arm room to reach through. I've never seen one converted, though.

[TUbajohn20J]

More horn dorn

[acjcf2]

Incredible workmanship.