Posted by Gary S on November 11, 1999 at 13:40:18:
The local CC has an old Olds tuba that I feel will be available as surplus very soon. It is just a small student model, but I would like to have something like this for jobs where my St Pete might get a ding or two. The problem with this Olds is that it has been played like an accordian! Bell is badly wrinkled, and worse, the bow is squashed! The bow is still air tight (at least water tight) I will not invest a fortune in this thing, no fancy restoration of finish, etc. Just these two major areas straighten. Do the schools that teach instrument repair take in these kinds of jobs for training purposes? Our local trade school does auto bady and painting for next to nothing, but you have to give them a very long time, especially if they are not to the type of work you need done in their curriculum. I'd go for this idea with this tuba. Any information on this or any other ideas, suggestions, and/or comments???