Posted by John Mauterer on September 21, 2001 at 19:04:28:
Dear fellow tubists,
I got my horn back in April of this year, and my valves have always been sluggish and sticky. I thought that the valves were just going through their "break in period". But my private teacher and I have discovered that the valves themselves actually have a defect. The slots that the valve guides go in haven't been "chiseled" all the way to make a square path. There are small sections of rough material in the slots, which constantly catch the valve guides. Has anybody with this horn ever experienced a problem similar to this? I would also like to know what a good all around mouthpiece for this horn is. I currently have the PT-88 and the PT-64, but they are either too small or too large. Any suggestions? Thanks a bunch.
John Mauterer