Here is a First - Played it so Much it Broke!

[John Morgan]

Well, I just had a first in all my 55 years of playing euphonium. I was practicing this evening and at about the 1 1/2 hour mark, I noticed my first valve was not returning to the full upright position. I pressed it a couple times and it felt real squishy. I took the valve out, leaned the horn over, and out came my 1st valve spring totally broken at about the third loop down, but still dangling together with the coating stuff on the spring. I have never had a spring break on me. And the springs weren't "that" old, maybe a little over a year. They were put in by Lee Stofer when he had my horn last spring, and I got it back at ITEC in June. I think they were Yamaha coated springs. I liked them okay up until tonight. Well, fortunately I still have my original Adams springs. I will use them for now.

Here is a picture of the minor catastrophe:



Edit: After replacing the Yamaha coated springs with my Adams springs, voila, my valves work better. I had been noticing that I couldn't seem to get fast passages cleanly lately, even though I was practicing the dickens out of them. I just played a few and they are totally clean now. Hmmmm. Maybe my Yamaha springs were going on the fritz and I didn't know it.

[davewerden]

I've never broken a spring...knock on wood! But I've heard too many stories to think it doesn't happen.

On the plus side, that's a pretty easy way to clean up the technical passages you mentioned!

[RickF]

Hi John,

I had that happen to me a number of years ago during a concert. Thankfully we weren’t playing Festive O. or Pineapple Poll that night It was on my Yamaha 641 so also Yamaha coated springs.

Broken first valve spring:

[daruby]

John Morgan,

I am using the Steven Mead springs on my Sterling (that has Bauerfeind valves as do Adams). I have had the same set of coated springs for 10 years and they work great. Ne'er a problem.

[davewerden]

...I am using the Steven Mead springs on my Sterling (that has Bauerfeind valves as do Adams). I have had the same set of coated springs for 10 years and they work great. Ne'er a problem.

I had mine for maybe that long - hard to remember. But I replaced them this fall because the coating was starting to get icky.

[Snorlax]

Normally when I play, I don't have to break my own horn. My co-workers
and the audience are more than happy to do it for me.

[John Morgan]

Normally when I play, I don't have to break my own horn. My co-workers
and the audience are more than happy to do it for me.

Oh, I doubt that!! I think they enjoy your playing. But it does surprise you when a spring breaks, not expected at all, ever!

[highpitch]

Never broke a spring, just wore them out.

I did, however, lose the cork out of the 3rd spit-valve whilst playing a solo. I didn't know until I needed a high Db...fffttt!

Dennis