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

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Summerfield, Florida Sturgis, SD (summers)
    Posts
    1,868

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

    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:

    Click image for larger version. 

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    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.
    Last edited by John Morgan; 07-02-2020 at 10:10 PM.
    John Morgan
    The U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own) 1971-1976
    Adams E3 Custom Series Euphonium, 1956 B&H Imperial Euphonium,
    1973 F. E. Olds & Son Studio Model T-31 Baritone
    Adams TB1 Tenor Trombone, Yamaha YBL-822G Bass Trombone
    Year Round Except Summer:
    Kingdom of the Sun (KOS) Concert Band, Ocala, FL (Euphonium)
    KOS Brass Quintet (Trombone, Euphonium)
    Summer Only:
    Rapid City Municipal Band, Rapid City, SD (Euphonium)
    Rapid City New Horizons Band (Euphonium)

  2. #2
    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!
    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

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    West Palm Beach, FL
    Posts
    3,853
    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:
    Last edited by RickF; 07-03-2020 at 08:57 AM.
    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)

  4. 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.
    Adams E3 0.60 Sterling bell - Prototype top sprung valves
    Concord Band
    Winchendon Winds
    Townsend Military Band

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by daruby View Post
    ...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.
    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

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Indianapolis area
    Posts
    1,003
    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.
    Jim Williams N9EJR (love 10 meter CW)
    Formerly Principal Euphonium in a whole
    bunch of groups, now just a schlub.
    Shires Q41, Yamaha 321, 621 Baritone
    Wick 4AL, Wessex 4Y, or whatever I grab.
    Conn 50H trombone, Blue P-bone
    www.soundcloud.com/jweuph

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Summerfield, Florida Sturgis, SD (summers)
    Posts
    1,868
    Quote Originally Posted by Snorlax View Post
    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!
    John Morgan
    The U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own) 1971-1976
    Adams E3 Custom Series Euphonium, 1956 B&H Imperial Euphonium,
    1973 F. E. Olds & Son Studio Model T-31 Baritone
    Adams TB1 Tenor Trombone, Yamaha YBL-822G Bass Trombone
    Year Round Except Summer:
    Kingdom of the Sun (KOS) Concert Band, Ocala, FL (Euphonium)
    KOS Brass Quintet (Trombone, Euphonium)
    Summer Only:
    Rapid City Municipal Band, Rapid City, SD (Euphonium)
    Rapid City New Horizons Band (Euphonium)

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Hidden Valley, AZ
    Posts
    1,034
    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

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