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Thread: Adams players: What oil do you use?

  1. #1

    Adams players: What oil do you use?

    So I'm in a bit of a pickle lately.... I love, love, love my Adams E1. It's got the exact sound profile I want in a euphonium, responds fantastically, takes anything I give it. It's the best horn *for me* I've ever played.

    But in testing out other makes/models for my job, I have found certain horns with lighter/faster valve action - specifically the Shires Q series - which has me wondering how the action on my E1 might be improved.

    So before I go try to get the pistons themselves worked on (which I'm open to, if anyone else has done this and has input), I figured the easiest change I could make is the valve oil I'm using. I currently use Blue Juice. My questions to Adams owners are - have you noticed the same thing with the valves vs other horns as I am, and what oil do you use?
    Sean Kissane
    Low Brass Specialist, Paige's Music
    Principal Euphonium, Indianapolis Brass Choir
    Principal Euphonium, Crossroads Brass Band

  2. #2
    Mine can be very fast when I'm using Blue Juice or Hetmann #1. I'm also testing the Yamaha light oil, which seems similar to Hetmann but maybe not quite as light.

    Are all 3 valves about the same? If so, I would start by using some Flitz polish on the piston of one. Don't get too aggressive right around the port openings, but otherwise you can polish well with no worries. That will clean off any deposits that may be stubbornly stuck on the piston. If it speeds it up, then you've identified the issue.

    There are also some spray cleaners for stainless steel counters/etc. that cleans pretty well, but I'm a little nervous about what it might do to the brass passages within the pistons.
    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
    Jun 2018
    Location
    Summerville (SC)
    Posts
    483
    Hello Sean, a few years ago Monster Oil formulated a synthetic valve oil doped with small amounts of silicon particularly designed for the tight valves of Adams horns. Amongst other sources, it is available from Austin Custom Brass at:

    https://www.austincustombrass.biz/ad...m-monster-oil/

    Regards, Guido
    Last edited by guidocorona; 11-16-2021 at 09:17 AM.
    M5050L - DC2&3, SM2&4U, BT16, Carbonaria Heavy & New
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  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2020
    Location
    Yorktown, Virginia
    Posts
    277
    Though not the intended audience (Adam’s Owners), any consideration or advice regarding springs?
    David Shinn
    Peninsula Concert Band
    Yorktown, Virginia



    1971 Besson 181 ‘New Standard’ Euphonium (3+1 compensating) ~ Alliance DC3M
    1971 Besson 176 ‘New Standard’ Euphonium (3 compensating) ~ Alliance DC3M
    1979 Besson 755 'New Standard' Baritone (3 compensating) ~ Alliance DC5S
    1894 Besson ‘Doublophone’ Euphonium (3 + 1 changeover) & Original Leather Case


    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidshinn....ibextid=LQQJ4d
    Peninsula Concert Band: https://www.peninsulaconcertband.org/

  5. Quote Originally Posted by guidocorona View Post
    Hello Sean, a few years ago Monster Oil formulated a synthetic valve oil doped with small amounts of silicon particularly designed for the tight valves of Adams horns. Amongst other sources, it is available from Austin Custom Brass at:

    https://www.austincustombrass.biz/ad...m-monster-oil/

    Regards, Guido
    A few years ago I was having problems with my valves on my Adams flugelhorn. I tried the special Monster Oils formulated specially for Adams. No improvement, in fact maybe a little worse.

    I had the horn ultrasonically cleaned and it immediately improved. I would seem I hadn't been cleaning quite thoroughly enough. Also, using the lighter oil, it seemed to not stay on the valves. I went back to Hetman 2 and the valves were fine.
    Richard


    King 1130 Flugabone
    King 2280 Euphonium
    King 10J Tuba
    Conn 22B Trumpet

  6. #6
    I found on all the Adams I've played that Blue Juice works the best for me and my chemistry. I picked up a set of those cleaning spitballs and any valve problems quickly go away. For springs, the only springs that have worked for me with Adams horns have been the Mead LIGHT springs. The Regular Mead springs are too heavy and the normal Adams OEM springs too gummy and cause a lot of valve bounce on the upstroke. The mead light springs just work and work great.
    Adams E3 0.6 with SS Bell
    K&G 3.5D
    ---------------------------------
    Founder and Solo Euphonium
    San Francisco Brass Band

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by JakeGuilbo View Post
    I found on all the Adams I've played that Blue Juice works the best for me and my chemistry. I picked up a set of those cleaning spitballs and any valve problems quickly go away. For springs, the only springs that have worked for me with Adams horns have been the Mead LIGHT springs. The Regular Mead springs are too heavy and the normal Adams OEM springs too gummy and cause a lot of valve bounce on the upstroke. The mead light springs just work and work great.
    I'm right where you are for the springs! The originals were too soft for me. I like the Mead Light as well for simplicity, but I personally bought 2 sets of the normal Mean springs so I could avoid using the 1st valve spring, which really is too stiff in the Adams valves (because of less space between the piston and bottom cap).
    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
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Summerfield, Florida Sturgis, SD (summers)
    Posts
    1,867
    I have had my Adams E3 about 5 1/2 years. I have tried several oils. Yamaha synthetic, Hetman, Monster and Blue Juice that I remember. I go in spurts. I am using Blue Juice now. I did have my valves "polished" by Lee Stofer a few years back with good results. My valves have always been a little bit finicky. Really have to keep them clean. The Blue Juice, which I used, then didn't use, now use again, seems to have to be applied frequently. In the summer, I get sticky valves more so than in the winter. Heat does something it seems. Blue Juice seems to give me the least amount of gunk buildup. Picking the right valve oil and keeping valves clean and working good is a life journey that I think will never end...
    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)

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by John Morgan View Post
    Blue Juice seems to give me the least amount of gunk buildup. Picking the right valve oil and keeping valves clean and working good is a life journey that I think will never end...
    That reminds me of one of my theories! Blue Juice and other standard oils DO require more frequent application, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Because I have the habit of always wiping down the piston before I apply oil, more frequent oiling means more frequent wiping off gunk...which contributes to keeping the valves clean.
    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

  10. #10
    I just had my horn cleaned at the shop, and I pretty much oil before every gig and rehearsal.... I switched to Al Cass the last couple times and, thought it may be psychosomatic, it SEEMS to make an improvement? I have always kind of lumped most "basic" oils into the same category (Al Cass, Blue Juice, Five Starr, Accent, any generic store branded oil etc.), and figured they were all pretty much interchangeable. Perhaps I'm wrong about that?

    Quote Originally Posted by John Morgan View Post
    I did have my valves "polished" by Lee Stofer a few years back with good results.
    John, is his "polishing" procedure different from a regular lapping?
    Last edited by spkissane; 11-17-2021 at 08:38 AM.
    Sean Kissane
    Low Brass Specialist, Paige's Music
    Principal Euphonium, Indianapolis Brass Choir
    Principal Euphonium, Crossroads Brass Band

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