Newbie Tuba Owner Questions

[tbonesullivan]

I guess this should also be "Newbie Piston Valve Owner" area. As a trombone player, my entire playing life, with the exception of a bit in high school, has been slides and various types of rotary valves. Piston Valves are something new to me, particularly regarding the springs in the bottom of them. I've already noticed that I have one valve on my Euphonium that makes a bunch of spring noise. while the other three don't make any. I've also noticed that they really like to be vertical when putting the piston back in, or else the spring doesn't properly center on the bottom of the piston casing.

So, big question I guess is how often should I be replacing the piston springs? Is it a standard thing you do when picking up a used horn?

Also, the Tuba I picked up (YBB-631S) is a 3+1 configuration. Does the "side valve" take the same type of spring as the top 3?

[scottw]

A rotary guy myself because I don't like valve spring problems, I can tell you that different make horns like specific springs to work best. There is no end-be-all spring which works in 100% of cases. My suggestion is to take it to a good tech and see which spring works best, both for noise, ease of push, fast return, etc. My guy has drawers of springs, each one different.

BTW, where in Jersey are you located?

[tbonesullivan]

A rotary guy myself because I don't like valve spring problems, I can tell you that different make horns like specific springs to work best. There is no end-be-all spring which works in 100% of cases. My suggestion is to take it to a good tech and see which spring works best, both for noise, ease of push, fast return, etc. My guy has drawers of springs, each one different.

BTW, where in Jersey are you located?

That's what I thought. Not sure where I would be able to find springs for a Sterling Euphonium, but Yamaha springs should be easy to source.

I live in Morris county, which fortunately (or unfortunately) makes Dillon Music very close by.

[Tom]

Unless someone has messed with your springs by stretching them or trimming them in a home-brew attempt to change the valve action, the stock springs will last just about forever. It is not really expected that you'll ever need to replace the springs due to wear or as part of general maintenance.

They may rattle or buzz unless centered in the bottom valve cap, so the pistons do need to be carefully reinstalled if you've removed them for cleaning or oiling. That is not unusual. At one time Yamaha had a plastic coating on the springs to help reduce noise and keep them centered, but it would often start to flake off - I'm not sure if Yamaha still has the coated springs or not.

Some tubas have a different (usually "weaker") 4th valve spring for the RH pinky finger (or LH index finger on a 3+1). I don't know how Yamaha does it. There are aftermarket springs you can experiment with if the mood strikes, but assuming your set is a factory supplied set, a lot of folks that install aftermarket springs actually install Yamaha springs such as those you probably already have.

[tbonesullivan]

Sweet! Now I've gotta decide if it's worth fixing a small leak in my Euphonium, once I locate said leak.

[scottw]

Matt at Dillons is the man to both find your leak and replace springs.

[tbonesullivan]

Matt at Dillons is the man to both find your leak and replace springs.

Yep! Found the leak. Couldn't figure out why I was feeling a bit of air on my left hand. Now I notice the greenish stuff on the bottom side of that joint ferrule. Hopefully it can be fixed without tearing down the horn too much.

[tbonesullivan]

Here's another quick question.

I noticed that the YBB-631 originally came with a Yamaha 67C4, though the 632 comes with the 66D4, which is slightly deeper, narrower, and has a wider throat. I was thinking of looking for some used mouthpieces to see which works better for me.

Currently I just have the Helleberg 120S and 7B, which are pretty funnel shaped. Does anyone know if the yamaha mouthpieces are more "cup" shaped, like a Bach?

[Rebel]

You are correct. The 67C4 is the original mouthpiece for the horn. That is the mouthpiece I purchased for my YBB-631, since mine did not have a mouthpiece, I figured I would go with what the manufacturer recommended. Yes, the mouthpiece is cup shaped like a Bach. Very pleased.

[tbonesullivan]

I definitely like the 67C4 so far. The 7b just seemed a bit too open for a BBb horn, and I am having much better luck getting a good consistent tone with the Yamaha and Helleberg 120S. I do like the 67C4 on the face a bit better as well, with the wider rim.