Posted by Tony E on March 17, 2004 at 02:39:13:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Holton BAT Response/Intonation posted by D.Graves on March 16, 2004 at 22:36:38:
DG,
Based on your follow up to Alex, and your comments here, the low register on your horn sounds substantially more problematic than what I'm experiencing. My Holton is in better than factory condition mechanically, and the fourth valve combinations are still a bit stuffy. No doubt, there is a resistance difference going between (1,2, or 3) and 4. But, on low register notes that use the 4th valve, I don't have any of the troubles you describe in getting the horn to "SHOUT", or getting FFF levels out of the horn. It just blows a bit differently when the 4th valve is down. But, output is NOT diminished.
I suspect there are some issues here besides you. My Tuba's first into Dan Oberloh's shop was to address major dents and past repair problems. There were a number of hidden items that were discovered and corrected. The second trip in was for the valve job, and it was worth every cent. The work done to date transformed how the horn plays.
The truth of the matter is that having an instrument overhauled is a bit of a gamble. No one can tell you for sure what the gain will be, if any. You have to bite the bullet, and see what happens. As to your original question of whether a leadpipe change will help the horn...well, there's definitely one way to find out.
Keep us posted on your horn.
Regards,
Tony E