Leather grips & best lubrication on Adams E1

[Cameron J.]

Hey all,

I just had a few questions regarding an Adams E1 euphonium. I am looking at ordering in some leather grips through LSC for an Adams E1 euphonium - primarily grips for the left hand around the bell pipe in front of the 4th valve, and possibly over the 3rd valve slide and tubing. I checked through the LSC website and they don't seem to stock any grips specifically for an Adams euphonium. Would anyone have any alternative brands to try that would happen to fit on an E1? I was thinking of Hirsbrunner assuming it would be a close fit.

Additionally, which valve oil and lubricant for the tuning slide (with a trigger) would you recommend for an Adams? I have always been a big fan of Blue Juice, but I would prefer to use whichever oil gives the best results on Adams valves, no matter what brand it is. For the tuning slide with a trigger, I have seen people recommend either very light slide grease (like Ultra Pure Light) or trombone slide cream. Which would be the most preferred?

Finally, which spring combination would give me the closest results to the lightness of Yamaha valves? Sticking with the stock Adams springs or moving possibly to Mead Light Springs.

Thanks

[davewerden]

I'll have to let someone else answer about the leather grips because I don't use them. I can tell you that the left-hand strap I use had to be adjusted when I went from an E1 to an E3, so the braces must be slightly different in that area.

The Adams valves are close-fitting and require a light oil. I am currently using Blue Juice, which is my preferred standard oil. If you like synthetics, Hetmann #1 is good. I have also tried the Yamaha light and it seems about as good.

On my Sterling's trigger I did indeed use trombone slide cream, but I don't know if the Adams trigger operation is similar enough for my experience to count!

For most people I think the Mead Light springs are a nice upgrade from the standard springs. There is less distance from the bottom of the piston's travel to the bottom cap than a Besson has, so the standard Mead Springs on an Adams are for people looking to build bulging muscles on their fingers

[ghmerrill]

I think very highly of Resilience Oils' "F-1 Kick Gel" for any "movable" slides. Don't be put off by its "gel" designation. It's more like a heavy valve oil, and in fact I now use it as valve oil on my 1924 Buescher tuba. But I also use it for the "kick slide" (3rd valve tuning slide) on that horn.

[DutchEupho]

I suggest using Blue Juice on the valves. Works best for me on my E3.
As for the trigger, I use Hetmans 6.5 for the trigger. I lightly apply it and then use a few drops of valve oil to get it moving the way I want….

[daruby]

Ditto

[John Morgan]

Ditto²

[Eupher6]

I find Blue Juice's smell to be objectionable, so I use a synthetic. I've been using a 50/50 mixture of Yamaha Light Synthetic and Yamaha Regular Synthetic on my 4-year-old E2. Seems to work well - I get a little more mileage between oilings than if I used the straight Light Synthetic, though the valves are not sluggish at all.

[ghmerrill]

Ditto on Yamaha synthetic oils. They are my general go-to valve oils, and I use the Light one on my Wessex Eb horn and Mack euphonium. Unlike the Resilience oils, the Yamaha oils are TOTALLY odorless.

Ditto also on the Blue Juice smell. I really find it intolerable. But it's funny how sensitive or insensitive people are to smells like this. Another oil I use (not in a musical instrument context) is the legendary Ballistol, which has a rather distinctive smell that I don't mind at all. But my wife can't stand it and I have to thoroughly dispose of any rags/patches/wipes outside the house. The source of the odor in this case is generally regarded to be anethole (anis) which is one of it's known components, though it doesn't smell like licorice to me.

[dsurkin]

I have the Mack Brass euphonium. I've tried Hetman, Blue Juice (yes, the odor), Yamaha, and Resilience. I've found the best results and least build-up of gunk with Resilience. My body chemistry may be a contributing factor.

[davewerden]

...least build-up of gunk with Resilience. My body chemistry may be a contributing factor.

That is what makes choosing an oil so complicated! What works for me in an E3 might not work for John's E3, for example, because of our different chemistry.

Tangent: I just saw a post from the Resilience folks, which made me think they are doing business. As a new company (new to me, at least) I was not sure how they would fare in this market with the various shutdowns, etc. It's nice to have all the oil choices!

[MichaelSchott]

A repair tech recommended the regular Yamaha synthetic to me and it works well for me. No smell and it seems to last a while.

[JakeGuilbo]

I use Blue Juice due to my chemistry but my tech HATES it and says it has too much alcohol and leaves residue on the valves when the alcohol evaporates. He likes Ultra-Pure. I had a lot of success with Tech Oil that Steven Mead is now promoting but eventually went back to Blue Juice again. It just works for me.

[davewerden]

I should add that I just had my horn ultrasonically cleaned (it was overdue). The shop uses Ultrapure and that is what was on the horn when I picked it up. It really made the valves feel silky smooth...but it also did not respond quite as fast on the upstroke as the light synthetics or Blue Juice. It throws off my fingering when I don't feel the valves come up quickly. Many people prefer the silky feel and don't feel the loss of the speed.