Re: Re: Re: CSO York Condition?


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Posted by Rex Roeges on January 20, 2004 at 16:45:27:

In Reply to: Re: Re: CSO York Condition? posted by LO on January 20, 2004 at 14:08:07:

Yes, there are certainly violins and cellos (and I would suppose violas, string basses and guitars) that are hundreds of years old, and still playable, but you must remember that extraordinary maintenance is required for those instruments. They are completely rebuilt periodically, to extend only seen in tubas by those old, but mighty Holtons (he, he).

I don’t see any reason why a brass instrument that is very old (like one of the Civil War tubas) could not be maintained similarly, but it would be a lot of work. Even though brass is one of the most malleable metals, and can take quite a bit of work before it work-hardens and becomes brittle, it can still happen. If you are willing to disassemble, anneal, then reassemble the instrument, it will be much less brittle, perhaps even less brittle than a new instrument. However, I don’t know how much the disruption of the brass matrix (the “work hardening or embrittlement) contributes to the tone of the instrument. If you anneal a horn, then the instrument may well sound different.

There are other factors to consider. When you disassemble and anneal the instrument parts, you may find that they are slightly different sizes than when you started, so reassembly may present some challenges. Also, it is unlikely that any lacquer would survive the annealing process and I have my doubts about most silver finish too, so refinishing would be in order. You would also want to be concerned about the fit of the valves, since the valve casings may not be exactly the same size after annealing, but replating and lapping the valves might handle that. Then there are those non-brass parts like pads, corks, springs, etc., that would all need replacing. Finally, there is the obligatory dent removal for an old instrument. Please note that my comments are derived from my experience with machine parts, not musical instruments.

I have to agree with another poster that doing this work on one of the old Chicago Yorks may not be worthwhile because, not only would it be very expensive, but you would not necessarily end up with a horn that plays the same as it does now. Also mentioned, there are some very fine new horns available. A really good player would probably not sound that much (if at all) better on one of the Chicago Yorks, than on one of the top quality new horns available today.

What about metal thinning due to acids from the player's mouth? I suspect that this is mostly a problem "early" in the horn, and leadpipes and tuning slides are easily replaceable. Some of our other contributors who regularly repair instruments would be better able to discuss this than me.

Yes, I think that a brass instrument can "live forever" the way a violin can, but it may sound different after each rebuild, and it would take a lot of work to maintain it.


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