Well! This turned out better than I had hoped!
Fingering Chart (needed pitch corrections)
High Octave
High F is still hard to nail on this tuba, but now it is not sharp AF…
Middle Octave
Gb/F# top of staff = 5th (12 can still be used, but I have to push in on 1st, and 5th is bang on with the tuner for me with this mouthpiece.)
Low Octave
G bottom line = 13
C two ledger lines = 4
B = 46
Bb = 45
A = 456
Ab = 134 (out of the descending pattern)
G = 1234 (slide retuning allows this to work)
Gb/F# = 3456
F = 13456 (the "Sellmansberger Secret F" — all six will not get a Secret E, though…)
Pedal Octave
C = 13
Bb = 14
If I use these fingerings, I do not have to move a single slide, ever. The low range is fuller and less piggish. I think the leak I found was making the 5th range quack a bit. It is much easier to hit notes solidly down there now.
This tuba is now every bit as good as the Adams. It is just a lot bigger. I am not sure which one I will keep. In quintet I only play F, and we frequently have a set drummer. I have to be able to knock out low, walking basslines while still being able to play all the Rennaissance stuff (frequently high and delicate) where I have to pretend to be playing an instrument I don't have.
Because
bigness on a small instrument is more difficult for me than
smallness on a large instrument I think the Kurath will eventually win out. But I want to take another year to decide — because the Adams is *really* good…
I have some upcoming performances for which I had planned to use the Adams, but now I'm not so sure.
Regardless, this is going to be a fun problem to work through. I'm a fortunate guy, on occasion…
Ah, sweet mayhem…
Awaiting a thorough cleanup job to all the solder work…
