Posted by Chuck on May 22, 1999 at 22:39:20:
In Reply to: 1904 Conn Eb tuba help wanted posted by Sally on May 22, 1999 at 17:21:12:
A genuine age patina! I'd leave it alone--like wrinkles, things like that should be worn as a sign of pride. But some CLR (a de-liming solution available at many hardware stores) in warm water will probably soak it away without dissolving the horn and you can finish with a polish like Brasso.
You'll find that most horns from this time were either HP (high pitch) or LP (low pitch). HP, I belive is somewhere around A 462 and LP is A 435, the old "international standard". So your horn probably plays a bit flat.
All in all, it still sounds cool!