Posted by Dale on January 29, 2000 at 11:43:10:
In Reply to: Resonance Enchancement posted by Tim C on January 28, 2000 at 13:31:54:
That cryo treatment makes some sense on new horns I think, sorta like stress-relieving. If ever in my life I buy a brand-new tuba again I might try it. I dunno if its worthwhile on older or well-used tubas. My teacher had a 15-year old YB BAT which was stress-relieved by taking a torch to the braces and SPROING all the built-in stress was relieved. Then the repair guy re-soldered the braces with the horn in "a relaxed state" THAT tuba changed DRAMATICALLY for the better as a result of this type of stress-relieving. Similar thing happened on my ultra-dark sounding Ziess. Dick at Best Music in Oakland de-soldered the leadpipe from the bell and lifted it away about 1/4". VOILA brighter, resonance. I figured the same principle is what causes the brace from the body of a tuba to the bell to separate at the solder. When this happened on my Ziess I did NOT have it re-soldered, I slid a busiiness card between them to dampen a possible buzz. If I had kept the horn I planned to have the brace removed. Do not try this at home, good repair guys are experienced professionals. Your mileage may vary.