I always knew this thing was never going to be outright pretty, but as I looked at bigger and better tubas that came up for sale I always had this nagging feeling that I wasn't getting the full potential out of the Sonora. But I also didn't want to invest much more into it since these don't sell for a ton of money even in good condition. I finally bit the bullet and decided to take it in to Dana Hofer here in Chicago to get his opinion on it. Considering what I originally paid for it and the fact that they're generally selling for more now, I went ahead and left it with him. My goal wasn't to get a true restoration done, but to take care of some of the larger problems and give it a solid play conditioning.
After about 5 weeks, this is what I came home with...
(Let me know if that picture doesn't show up.) EDIT: Trying a different host.
This thing sure still isn't pretty, but this is about the most beautiful ugly tuba I've ever seen.
This was my first experience with Dana, and I'm kicking myself for not using him for previous work.The first thing you may notice is that leadpipe. The plan was to remove the leadpipe and do as good a job as possible to repair the existing damage. Apparently Martin Wilk was in town visiting during this time and asked Dana if he had any projects he needed help with. "Well I've got this tuba..." So I had not just one brass technician wizard working on my tuba, but two. Martin brought in a shiny German-silver leadpipe, they removed the damaged section, and spliced it onto the existing remnant since the original was almost comically long.
The major dent in the upper bow was completely repaired, and the 4th valve tubing was removed and restored to nearly perfect condition. My 4th valve has always been stuffy on that horn, but now it plays as freely and naturally as any other finger combination. On cold days I'd never been able to play this tuba in tune, so the main slide was cut. I now have the novelty of being able to play not only in tune but also sharp if I so choose! Dana also pointed out where he had repaired the tubing coming out of the 4th valve and into the main slide, which apparently can have an outsize effect on overall playing characteristics. Please note that both this particular repair and the leadpipe replacement were not in our initial discussion, were both complete surprises to me, and I was charged for neither of them.
Dana had initially recommended a unibal conversion for the valves, but I decided to leave that alone this time around. When I came to pick it up he commented what I already somewhat knew: "These valves really aren't bad at all." Quiet, smooth, and more than sufficient for my needs. If I want, it's not like I can't change my mind and bring it back in the future.
The results of all this work done are truly incredible. When I bought it, it was the tuba I could afford ("plays well for what it cost"). Now it's just a great tuba, period. Playing this horn is almost effortless, and it's responsive to the point where I know that if something doesn't sound right, it's not the tuba, it's me! I play in a community band where the back row is in such a state that it could almost always use one more euphonium player or one more tuba player; typically in these cases the director asks me to play my main axe, euphonium. I brought the nickel-plated beast with me this week, and when I asked the usual question for the upcoming concerts, his response was, "You know... Bring that thing. Yeah." I think that's about the best feedback I could've gotten.
As could be inferred from my enthusiasm, Dana has my top recommendations. If you live by Chicago, having him work on your horns is kind of a no-brainer. (He also cleaned my euphonium and for the first time in its life the 1st valve isn't acting up.) A huge thanks to both him and Martin Wilk! This has been a rough year for me and you guys really lit up a bright spot.
Thanks for reading! Don't mind me, I'll be over here building up my lung capacity...
EDIT: I incorrectly stated Matt Walters had helped out on this job. Dana just corrected me, it was Martin Wilk. Apparently I forgot that yes, there are two people with those initials. My apologies!
Hard to believe it's already been 7 years. In fact, he has another Sonora for sale right now! TubaTinker does, too. All these nice vintage B&S 'Sonora' tubas come up for sale when I don't have the money for 'em 
