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Thread: Mead springs lite ... or not?

  1. #1
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    Dec 2011
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    Mead springs lite ... or not?

    I'm very confused.

    I thought I'd order the "Mead Springs Lite" to see if I liked them in either my euph or my EEb tuba. The Mead Springs are specifically advertised to be suitable for Eb tuba as well as euphonium.

    For some reason, I couldn't get the ordering stuff to work on the Just For Brass site and so I ordered them via Amazon Marketplace from Louisville Music Company. They came today. Very puzzling. Consider the picture:

    Click image for larger version. 

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    The original Mead Spring is on the right, and one of the Mead Springs Lite is on the left. The Lite one is noticeably shorter that the original, and it is of a (to me) MUCH smaller diameter. The descriptions of them on the web do often say that "the lite springs are slightly smaller and lighter". But that diameter difference is a bit striking. In addition, the original Mead Springs are not cylindrical, but bulge in the middle. The Lite ones I got are fully cylindrical.

    Then there is the issue that the original Mead Springs come designated for specific valves since they are of different strengths. None of the descriptions of the lite ones I have seen say anything different -- only that they are lighter. But there is NO indication with the lite springs that came that they are valve-specific, and indeed they appear identical. $37 (plus $5 shipping) for a set of identical cylindrical plastic coated springs seems a bit much. It seems to me that the two major distinguishing features of Mead Springs is that they are distinctively shaped and designed for different strengths in each valve. These have neither feature.

    I haven't actually tried these yet, but was thinking of trying them in the EEb tuba as well as the euphonium. However, given their skimpy size, I'm now a little concerned about doing so. And more generally I'm thinking maybe I should just return them without trying them. The package from Louisville Music, by the way, has a label on it that says "Mead Springs Lite (Baritone) $36.95" and ""justforbrass.com & justforwinds.com".

    What I'm really wondering is if anyone has tried these and has any comments. I don't suppose anyone has tried them in a tuba?
    Gary Merrill
    Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
    Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
    Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
    1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
    Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
    1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)

  2. #2
    "For some reason, I couldn't get the ordering stuff to work on the Just For Brass site and so I ordered them via Amazon Marketplace from Louisville Music Company."

    The JFB people are great, stock a lot of stuff and they ship fast, but their website is wonky and I have struggled with it on several occasions.

    john

  3. #3
    The regular Mead springs are too heavy for me these days (particularly the 1st valve), so I ordered the lite. They are MUCH too light in my Adams. Darn.
    Dave Werden (ASCAP)
    Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
    Adams Artist (Adams E3)
    Alliance Mouthpiece (DC3)
    YouTube: dwerden
    Facebook: davewerden
    Twitter: davewerden
    Instagram: davewerdeneuphonium

  4. #4
    They do make a meadspring that is intended for british-style baritone or non-compensating euphonium. The smaller diameter and shorter length would suggest that is what you got rather than the light euphonium/eb tuba set.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by bbocaner View Post
    They do make a meadspring that is intended for british-style baritone or non-compensating euphonium. The smaller diameter and shorter length would suggest that is what you got rather than the light euphonium/eb tuba set.
    In that case there are definitely at least some marketing issues since all I've seen is the distinction between the regular and the lite -- with no distinction between different types of the lite. If you have links to the light that might work for tuba, I'd be interested, but I'm getting a little leery about dropping this amount of money on springs. For just plastic coated springs, the Yamaha ones would have been cheaper and probably at least as good.

    I tried one of one of the lite ones I just got in the EEb tuba and it was way too light. It MIGHT be okay in a smaller non-comp horn. I'll try it in the euphonium tomorrow. At the moment I have the regular SM spring set in my EEb tuba and it seems to work well, although I ended up switching the #1 and #3. I'm not entirely convinced it's better than the standard springs I had in it.

    Maybe I will call Just for Brass simply to help resolve the mystery.
    Gary Merrill
    Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
    Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
    Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
    1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
    Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
    1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)

  6. #6
    Where is a good place from which to order the Yammie valve springs? I googled "Yamaha 642 valve springs," but got only one hit (Mouthpiece Express), and this was "may be in stock," with no description.
    David Bjornstad

    1923 Conn New Wonder 86I, Bach 6 1/2 AL
    2018 Wessex EP100 Dolce, Denis Wick 4ABL
    2013 Jinbao JBEP-1111L, Denis Wick 4AM
    2015 Jinbao JBBR-1240, Denis Wick clone mouthpiece of unknown designation
    Cullman (AL) Community Band (Euph Section Leader)
    Brass Band of Huntsville (2nd Bari)

  7. #7
    FWIW, the Mead Lite don't seem to fit in my 955 well. Its springs are even smaller in diameter.

    David B - Try your local repair shop for the Yamaha springs.
    Dave Werden (ASCAP)
    Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
    Adams Artist (Adams E3)
    Alliance Mouthpiece (DC3)
    YouTube: dwerden
    Facebook: davewerden
    Twitter: davewerden
    Instagram: davewerdeneuphonium

  8. #8
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by DaveBj View Post
    Where is a good place from which to order the Yammie valve springs? I googled "Yamaha 642 valve springs," but got only one hit (Mouthpiece Express), and this was "may be in stock," with no description.
    http://www.thebandroom.biz/01_item_a...ms.php?id=1282
    Gary Merrill
    Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
    Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
    Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
    1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
    Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
    1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Central North Carolina
    Posts
    2,368
    Well, I tried them in the euphonium this morning. Definitely too light. So at the moment I have the original Mead Springs in the Wessex tuba and the original Wessex tuba springs in the Mack Brass euphonium. All that seems to work well. At some point I'll probably get some of the Yamaha springs. But no rush.

    Now I need to decide what to do with these Mead Springs Lite. I've started the return process with the seller through Amazon.
    Gary Merrill
    Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
    Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
    Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
    1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
    Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
    1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    West Palm Beach, FL
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    3,853
    Quote Originally Posted by DaveBj View Post
    Where is a good place from which to order the Yammie valve springs? I googled "Yamaha 642 valve springs," but got only one hit (Mouthpiece Express), and this was "may be in stock," with no description.
    As Dave posted, most repair shops have the Yamaha valve springs in stock. I think it was 'PrototypedenNIS' that posted some time ago that Yamaha has almost 90% of the market share. If it helps, the P/N for the 642 springs is: G0141070
    Rick Floyd
    Miraphone 5050 - Warburton BJ / RF mpc
    YEP-641S (recently sold)
    Doug Elliott - 102 rim; I-cup; I-9 shank


    "Always play with a good tone, never louder than lovely, never softer than supported." - author unknown.
    Symphonic Band of the Palm Beaches
    El Cumbanchero (Raphael Hernandez, arr. Naohiro Iwai)
    Chorale and Shaker Dance
    (John Zdechlik)

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