Posted by Art H on March 05, 2004 at 00:11:23:
In Reply to: Leadpipes posted by Flat Bob on March 04, 2004 at 14:17:42:
I have assembled a couple of "Frankenstein" tubas. In both cases I replaced the leadpipe, valve section and tuning slide with new, larger-bore parts. On one of those tubas I also replaced the original recording bell with an upright bell. The modified instruments play better than the originals, but the intonation quirks are almost the same as they were before I started work on them. (My work is rather crude compared to some of the master craftsmen who frequent this space, but it keeps me happy.)
-So if you can't shorten your tuning slide then go ahead and make a new leadpipe. It may solve your problem. If not, you can always put the old one back on.