Expert: Kenton Scott - 2/20/2009

Question
I recently inherited a Lyon & Healy Eb 4 value Tuba s/n 6611 in fairly good condition along with a Brilliance 18 mouthpiece.  I am having trouble getting a good tone on it and wondering if the mouthpiece is the correct size.  Also wondering if you could give me some idea on the date of manufacture.

Answer
It is true that a vintage Eb (underline Eb) mouthpiece will make a vintage Eb instrument play better - better intonation and a brighter sound.  

But, I suspect that it may be something else.  The likely culprit would be an air leak.  It may be a break in the tubing someplace, or it may just worn valves.  To test for worn valves, try oiling them with olive oil and see if the tone improves.  To test for other air leaks, if the tuning slide is after the valve engine, remove it from the bell side and plug it and the blow into it and see if there is air escaping.

Can't determine dates on Lyon and Healy's by serial number because no serial number charts exists, you have to make estimates from the configuration of the horn.