Posted by Rob P-M on September 08, 1999 at 15:54:35:
In Reply to: OLD Tuba - pitch question posted by Tim Cary on September 08, 1999 at 07:43:35:
Sure sounds like a High Pitch (A=452 to 461) horn. Many horns in those days had additional main tuning slides with the extra length to tune down to old Low Pitch (which was A=435, not the A=440 most of us know today). Sounds like you will have to have a replacement slide of the proper length made. Matt Walters at Dillon Music in Woodbridge NJ could certainly do that for you if you're in the NY metro area
In addition to pulling out the main slide, check to see if there are scored lines on your valve slides. If so, to play low pitch you would pull the slides out to the scored lines (as the starting place) so the valve tubing would also be the proper length for low pitch. York horns had a unique patented tubing loop which could be inserted one way for high pitch and another way for low pitch (avoided the possibility of loosing the extra slide), our community band has a 20's York which has this, it works pretty well.