The "tuba whisperer" works his magic!

[Dave Detwiler]

Hi all - in the on-going story of the 1899 C. G. Conn American Model Monster BBb Bass that I acquired recently, I took it to Matt Walters, at Dillon Music, yesterday morning to see what he could do to revive its playability - at least for things like TubaChristmas.

Well, as always, Matt went above and beyond. Here's the post on my wonderful morning with this dear friend, with a handful of photos of his wizardry: http://tubapastor.blogspot.com/2022/03/ ... magic.html

And here's the shape this vintage tuba is in now - the valves work great (after much work), many of the dents are gone, joints that were loose are now secure, and much more. Now I can't wait for Christmas (not that that's anything new)!

After Matt worked his magic.jpg (120.15 KiB) Viewed 629 times

[matt g]

Awesome!

[bloke]

I believe I’ve made it pretty clear that I am >>> NOT <<< a storm-trooper “cut it to C” person.
Sometimes, good-playing old B-flat tubas, though, make > better < C instruments.
One set of examples are the 4/4 Buescher instruments with the super-long capillary portion stuck in front of the first valves for a tuning slide. Those instruments are sort of stuffy and throaty B-flats, but are very nice in-tune responsive C instruments - when that (too long?) capillary portion is removed.
What I’m seeing there is apparently a high-pitch B-flat, due to those extensions, and also a very long sixth upper bow. Experience tells me that that early narrow design offers pretty nice intonation, and often doesn’t seem to feature the flat third partial thing that Conn developed later.

Particularly since I have a Conn 4-valve .734” valveset here, had that instrument fallen into my hands, I might have played it in B-flat, evaluated it, temporarily shortened it to C (without cutting anything), evaluated that, and then made a decision on the best plan forward. (It may well be a wonderful B-flat ?)

To be clear (is this sentence even necessary?), it’s not mine and therefore what’s done with it is none of my business.

Regardless of what is done with it now or in the future, it’s extremely cool, and is worth enhancing further (again, as I have found that those narrower looking Conns offer better overtone series), whether it remains B-flat or whether the overall length is changed.

[York-aholic]

Very nice. Are those new finger buttons (not to diminish other more structural repairs)? May I ask what the work on the lathe was?

[bort2.0]

Looks great! How does it play?!

For people like Matt, I'm convinced that the issue isn't usually "doing the work," but rather "having the time to do the work." I sure hope that man has an apprentice to soften the blow of his one-day well-deserved retirement.

[Dave Detwiler]

Very nice. Are those new finger buttons (not to diminish other more structural repairs)? May I ask what the work on the lathe was?

Yes, the horn was missing two finger buttons, and the one that was there didn't seem to be original.

We tried various options, but because of the clearance needed on the old valve caps (the part that sticks up and is covered when the button is depressed), the only buttons he had that would work are those large King buttons. Someday, I may be able to hunt down ones that are a tad smaller in diameter (so that they still fit) and also have the mother of pearl inlay, as the original design had.

For comparison, the finger buttons on my 1927 Pan American (so, Conn, ultimately) Sousaphone were not quite wide enough. By then that part of the valve cap that sticks up had gotten narrower in diameter. Go figure!

And as to the lathe work, the valves themselves were a mess - they needed new stems that would securely screw into the valve, so he made that happen by drilling new holes, threading those holes (what you actually see in that photo) and then installing new stems.

The valves also needed new valve guides, as the original ones were worn down almost to nothing (that's the next photo you see). Matt removed what was left of the old ones, drilled a new hole, and then installed new ones, after he custom sanded them down to the width that would work in the old grooves.

It was super intriguing to see the master at work!

[Dave Detwiler]

Looks great! How does it play?!

For people like Matt, I'm convinced that the issue isn't usually "doing the work," but rather "having the time to do the work." I sure hope that man has an apprentice to soften the blow of his one-day well-deserved retirement.

It plays way better than it did when I first received it, now that the valves are aligned properly! But, by comparison, it is not as clear and full of a sound as my F. Schmidt (=VMI, or B&S) 3301, which has been my companion for years now. Interestingly, the two horns are very similar in size, and that's a size I really like.

But for things like TubaChristmas, I'm definitely bringing this vintage beast, just to show off a bit of Conn history - and play along, of course!

[bloke]

Considering the age, and – if the valves don’t look that hot (??) – you might experiment with mixing 30W into your oil just until the valves begin to slightly slow down. Play it then, and determine whether it plays better, and you might then have a diagnosis.

Double negative here, but it does not look like a tuba that does not have great potential.

[Dave Detwiler]

Considering the age, and – if the valves don’t look that hot (??) – you might experiment with mixing 30W into your oil just until the valves begin to slightly slow down. Play it then, and determine whether it plays better, and you might then have a diagnosis.

Double negative here, but it does not look like a tuba that does not have great potential.

Thanks so much, bloke! Matt had recommended that I use sewing machine oil.