Posted by Andy Smith on May 02, 2002 at 21:46:38:
Hi everyone,
Recently, I've been playing lots of excerpts and other things on different tubas in and around my school, including my teacher's Yorks, one of which is a 6/4. I feel that I have what it takes to perform in an orchestra/band for the rest of my life and I am beginning to feel the need to buy a 6/4 tuba to help me in this conquest.
Another of my life long goals that I wish to fulfill is to be a repair technician, specifically doing some cuts for people as needed. With some of the helpful guidelines I've found on websites that people have posted on this BBS and the mailing list, I feel that I could possibly do one a cut now with the help of our technician at college, who has agreed to help.
I've played every 6/4 tuba that is made, and frankly, I don't like any of them as much as I do the Holton or York cuts, but at the same time, I don't have the large amount of money to purchase one of these.
So, my questions are as follows:
1) Why hasn't anyone tried to cut a Conn 25/26 J? I feel that these would be great CC tubas. Is it just a lack of interest or are there problems that I don't know about?
2) What other tubas do people recommend to attempt to cut? I'm specifically looking for a horn that's missing valves, or other parts that would make it unusable in its current state.
3) Am I nuts for thinking that I can do this? I have several technicians that have offered to help me with this process, so I feel that between all of us, we could do a decent job.
Thanks very much.
Sincerely,
Andy Smith
Bassdi(AT)aol.com
Tubist at Ithaca College