Posted by Photos uploaded on May 15, 2003 at 07:05:58:
In Reply to: Super Sharp Playing EEb Tuba posted by Deet on May 14, 2003 at 15:25:17:
Deet sent me a number of .jpg's. They proved his assumption, that his tuba is the same as the Eb version already represented in my posting under K.
The new set of photos has higher resolution and can be found via the link given below. You can log in with the Yahoo identity = brassphotos03 and the password = public. Or you can join the group.
Taking a look at the receiver/ferrule/tubing of the Eb conversion main tuning slide makes me believe, that it is an after-market addition made with less elegance than provided by the original maker.
This tuba is not mine, so I easily can dream up suggestions on what to do with it, as I would not be the one providing costs and work:
I would not polish the surface. The patina looks like it has reached a stabile level, which actually is a good protection against further corrosion. But to save my clothes I would clean the surface with alcohol (or rather "rensebensin", but I don't know the translation, it is a mineral oil based strong detergent, which has a bad stink to it, but it takes away grease and dirt).
I would make the valve slides move. Especially that of the 4th valve. Maybe add a comfortable thumb-ring to the inside of the slide bow. That way I would have a good tool to compensate, intonationwise, for the lack of a 5th valve.
And most important: I would have a good repairman undo the Eb extension and take the instrument back to F. That might take a bit of calculations, if it shall be F as related to modern A=440Hz.
(End of dreaming).
Klaus