Posted by Steve Inman on February 15, 2001 at 12:26:52:
In Reply to: YFB 621 pitch/mp? posted by cockroach on February 14, 2001 at 23:23:25:
I have a YEB-381 that plays noticeably sharp throughout the range of the instrument. If I pull the tuning slide until it *almost* falls out of the horn, then the pitch is very good throughout.
I have temporarily solved the problem, AND improved the playing position (for me) by simply inserting a sousy tuning bit in between the mpc and horn. I'm sending a spare main tuning slide I recently purchased to Matt at Dillon, and am asking him to extend the length of the slide so I can ditch the tuning bit, if needed.
I don't know why this horn plays this sharp, but multiple players have tried it with the same result.
It seems the mpc effects generally lie in one area or the other, but not overall. The reading I've done leads me to believe that mpc VOLUME is the main consideration. If you've got a big/deep mpc, IIRC, you should actually play flat -- not sharp.
Get a tuner, pull the main tuning slide until your Fs are in tune. Then any variation could be the mpc or could be you. But from this point, the variation shouldn't be huge. If you get more consistent results overall with one of the other mpcs recommended in previous postings, but with the main tuning slide pulled WAY OUT, then perhaps you should send it to Dillons and tell Matt now much extra length you need (by telling him how far you've got to pull it for proper intonation).
Good luck,
Steve "been there . . . . No, wait -- AM there!" Inman
Kokomo, IN