Search found 3919 matches

by the elephant
Tue Oct 20, 2026 2:32 pm
Forum: Repairs & Modifications
Topic: Using AI for Frankentuba-ing
Replies: 13
Views: 4211

Re: Using AI for Frankentuba-ing

I did that. It was WAY off for this tuba. It needed to be a 35.5-ish" loop rather than the 24.5-ish" loop the math (and my CC tubas) would indicate.

Again, this was the case for me with my Mirafone 180's 4th slide: it had to be *much* longer, and then it was more or less great.

Not so with my ...
by the elephant
Tue Oct 20, 2026 10:56 am
Forum: Repairs & Modifications
Topic: Using AI for Frankentuba-ing
Replies: 13
Views: 4211

Re: Using AI for Frankentuba-ing

Yeah, right now it is garbage for a lot of the things I might ever need it for --- laughably so in the case of Finale or music engraving practices.

However, it is really great for math and science, until it isn't.

I still cannot figure out how it got to the same, exact answer as me, using the ...
by the elephant
Mon Oct 19, 2026 4:28 pm
Forum: Repairs & Modifications
Topic: The Kurath is on the Bench Again
Replies: 9
Views: 7946

Re: The Kurath is on the Bench Again

The MTS is more or less done. I have to install the waterkey bracket and nipple. I also want to trim the small side inner tube by the smount shown in the photo so that the other side seats fully when the slide is in all the way. (Stuff like that bugs me.)

Also, once I have it wired down, I need to ...
by the elephant
Sun Oct 18, 2026 5:31 pm
Forum: Repairs & Modifications
Topic: The Kurath is on the Bench Again
Replies: 9
Views: 7946

Re: The Kurath is on the Bench Again

Well, everything went wrong today. HAHAHA!!! (I am working on laughing when things don't work out, rather than stressing and cussing.)

I won't go into what did NOT work. Rather, I ended up completely disassembling the main tuning slide and its two outer tubes from the tuba.

I cleaned up ...
by the elephant
Sat Oct 17, 2026 9:17 pm
Forum: Repairs & Modifications
Topic: The Kurath is on the Bench Again
Replies: 9
Views: 7946

Re: The Kurath is on the Bench Again

Just tossing stuff together to set up the space where everything needs to live. Most joints are only half-filled, and are super sloppy due to the wicked trembling in my hands (f-ing meds).

Once it is all dialed in, I will take it all down, clean it up, and very carefully solder it together, both ...
by the elephant
Fri Oct 16, 2026 9:12 pm
Forum: Repairs & Modifications
Topic: The Kurath is on the Bench Again
Replies: 9
Views: 7946

Re: The Kurath is on the Bench Again

Will do, Chief.

PS - It's not.

:thumbsup:
by the elephant
Fri Oct 16, 2026 3:41 pm
Forum: Repairs & Modifications
Topic: Removable braces, ferrules, unions, etc.
Replies: 6
Views: 2209

Re: Removable braces, ferrules, unions, etc.

Here is a set of parts for Edwards trombones that you can probably buy from Getzen. Above, I noted that it depends on who answers the phone. I meant that sometimes they are willing to look up all the part numbers and diagrams and pull them from parts bins, and sometimes they are "busy".

Having ...
by the elephant
Fri Oct 16, 2026 2:07 pm
Forum: Repairs & Modifications
Topic: The Kurath is on the Bench Again
Replies: 9
Views: 7946

Re: The Kurath is on the Bench Again

I FOUND MY BOX OF DETACHABLE BRACE PARTS!
by the elephant
Thu Oct 15, 2026 5:24 pm
Forum: Repairs & Modifications
Topic: Removable braces, ferrules, unions, etc.
Replies: 6
Views: 2209

Re: Removable braces, ferrules, unions, etc.

The two large detachable braces between the outer 4th slide tube and the top bow (and two more on the other side) are an Instrument Innovations bass trombone bell brace three-piece barrell socket, some stainless steel rod, a King socketed brace foot on top, and the I.I. socket silver-soldered to ...
by the elephant
Thu Oct 15, 2026 5:16 pm
Forum: Repairs & Modifications
Topic: Removable braces, ferrules, unions, etc.
Replies: 6
Views: 2209

Re: Removable braces, ferrules, unions, etc.

Instrument Innovations (still a good bet)
Interesting stuff here—> linky

Yamaha (meh)

Getzen/Edwards (depends on who answers the phone)
no current contact info

Kanstul (well, nope, not any more)

Conn-Selmer (less likely these days)

homemade (time-consuming, but if you have the tooling and ...
by the elephant
Wed Oct 14, 2026 8:38 pm
Forum: Repairs & Modifications
Topic: The Kurath is on the Bench Again
Replies: 9
Views: 7946

Re: The Kurath is on the Bench Again

That Yamaha union got a short write-up last year when I first decided to use it on the Kurath. I had planned to add a 6th valve to my Holton 345, and would have used this union as a part of that project. However, I ended up dumping the whole idea. For the Kurath, it was far too large, and the one ...
by the elephant
Wed Oct 14, 2026 8:26 pm
Forum: Repairs & Modifications
Topic: The Kurath is on the Bench Again
Replies: 9
Views: 7946

The Kurath is on the Bench Again

Okay, so the complete rebuild of the rotary valve section has begun. The goal is to adjust the 5th and 6th slides to where I have determined I want them to be, to finalize a bunch of angles, and to make the rotary section removable from the piston without weakening anything.

To accomplish the last ...
by the elephant
Wed Oct 14, 2026 5:48 am
Forum: Repairs & Modifications
Topic: Stupid Stupi-diddy Stup Stupy Stupidness
Replies: 13
Views: 10387

Re: Stupid Stupididy Stup Stupy Stupidness

We seem to be talking a lot about the bumper material here. Like, most of the replies have been about what you can use.

This is supposed to be about how I overlooked the valve alignment on my own instrument, thinking that it was a small leak.

Like for a long time.

I guess I did not make that ...
by the elephant
Tue Oct 13, 2026 10:12 am
Forum: Music Chatter
Topic: SEARS trumpets
Replies: 9
Views: 3234

Re: SEARS trumpets

I had a Sears trumpet in 7th grade. The case said Sears, but the bell was stamped "LARK". It was the epitome of "Chinese" workmanship from 1977.

Nothing worked. Everything broke. It has ZAMAK waterkeys and a 3rd slide adjustment ring, and a ZAMAK brace that melted when a tech tried to reattach it ...
by the elephant
Tue Oct 13, 2026 9:10 am
Forum: Repairs & Modifications
Topic: Stupid Stupi-diddy Stup Stupy Stupidness
Replies: 13
Views: 10387

Re: Stupid Stupididy Stup Stupy Stupidness

I have plenty of the stuff here. The issue with Miraphone's chosen neoprene is that it is very hard, so difficult to compress into the cork plates. Then you *still* have to trim them. You know, after all these years, you would think they would know the compression/"bulge" factor and use material ...
by the elephant
Mon Oct 12, 2026 7:56 pm
Forum: Off-Site Deals and Ads
Topic: On Facebook: used YamaYork...$29.5
Replies: 7
Views: 5241

Re: On Facebook: used YamaYork...$29.5

Nice. I would like to find out about the gig bag Yamaha makes for these. Mine did not come with a case or bag. I have both now, but a bag sized specifically for one of these would be nice to have… if it is a really good design…
by the elephant
Mon Oct 12, 2026 7:16 pm
Forum: Off-Site Deals and Ads
Topic: KS FB: Vintage 186
Replies: 1
Views: 1525

Re: KS FB: Vintage 186

Early 1968.
by the elephant
Mon Oct 12, 2026 7:11 pm
Forum: Off-Site Deals and Ads
Topic: On Facebook: used YamaYork...$29.5
Replies: 7
Views: 5241

Re: On Facebook: used YamaYork...$29.5

Is that the group moderated by one of the TubeNet destroyers? I can't get access to see the ad.

Can you post a photo? I would like to see it. That is only a tiny bit less than I paid for mine. These do not turn up used very often at all.
by the elephant
Mon Oct 12, 2026 1:49 pm
Forum: Repairs & Modifications
Topic: Using AI for Frankentuba-ing
Replies: 13
Views: 4211

Re: Using AI for Frankentuba-ing

Yeah, know. I put its feet to the flames and repeatedly corrected its wrong info, had it recalculate the numbers, and never told it that I had come up with the same conclusion. I find it disturbing that when it gets so many things patently wrong, it nailed this. I don't understand it. The math used ...
by the elephant
Mon Oct 12, 2026 12:55 pm
Forum: Music Chatter
Topic: What did you play today?
Replies: 387
Views: 520571

Re: What did you play today?

Today I played on my F tuba from Eb below the staff to A natural below the staff, up and down, fast and slow, over and over, for about an hour.