This is strange.

Newell Post

Some might think this brutal, but here goes....

When I have an old horn that has been stored for a long time or one of uncertain provenance, I flush it out -- and I mean flush it out -- with one of these plumbing things hooked to the garden hose. But MAKE SURE all of the slides are held firmly in place somehow. It can blow out even loose-ish slides. Hold the horn firmly -- really firmly -- and press the valves one at a time. That will circulate water under pressure through all tubes and flush out almost anything smaller than a small dog. Then make sure all of the pistons are installed in the right casing and with the right orientation. If that doesn't work, abandon all hope.

Newell Post

BTW, if something blocks air when valves are not depressed, how do you know for sure it is the third valve? Does the horn block air with the third valve up and pass air OK with the third valve down? That would be really weird.

BigDub

@newell-post
Not thinking that is a path I will go with this problem.
If air won’t go through, neither will water so bad things might happen.

BigDub

@newell-post said in This is strange.:

It's easy to install Bach valves backwards. Not so with Getzen. That was one of the things I always liked about Getzen.

I know all about how great Getzen Valves are. That is my main horn.
Yes, never a problem.

BigDub

@newell-post said in This is strange.:

BTW, if something blocks air when valves are not depressed, how do you know for sure it is the third valve? Does the horn block air with the third valve up and pass air OK with the third valve down? That would be really weird.

The third is definitely the one in question. At least that is what seems the most logical since that is that one that changes things when depressed. The other two were just fine.

J. Jericho

Disassembling this bunch...

... and dropping one each (after lighting them) into each of the tubes connected to the third valve should open things right up!

Dr GO

@newell-post said in This is strange.:

...at my Mom's house in Kansas City for the holidays. (She's 99.) I leave my old Getzen Severinsen here at Mom's house and use it for practice when I am here. Bach Strad is my daily driver, but every time I come to Mom's and play the old Severinsen for a few days, I remember how good those Getzen valves are and how facile that old thing feels.

Getzen valves are the best!

BigDub

Not sure this is going to clarify anything, but let me repeat myself:

There is no blockage in the horn.
There is no blockage in the third tuning slide.
There is no blockage when the third valve is depressed.

There is only blockage of all air when the the third valve is NOT depressed.

My guess is, the third valve somehow got misaligned or is strangely in backwards. Clearly therein lies the problem.

I am going to bring it to Jonathan Ashcraft, my brass repair guy, who will surely know how to resolve it. He is a great repair guy, a regular artist, and he can play very well too.

One final comment: I am sure thankful I have a Gettzen Eterna to use every day. Every time I pick it up and rapidly press all the valves and they respond like a thoroughbred race horse, that is the feeling I get

Dr GO

@bigdub said in This is strange.:

I am going to bring it to Jonathan Ashcraft, my brass repair guy, who will surely know how to resolve it. He is a great repair guy, a regular artist, and he can play very well too.

How is he at wiring trumpets for light bulb insertion?

BigDub

@georgeb said in This is strange.:

@bigdub

It's probably stupid of me to ask this, but is there a chance that somehow the valves may have got mixed up ?
George

We have a winner! George, you hit the nail on the head. I thought sure I checked and rechecked if the valves were in the correct cylinders.
Well, turns out 3 was in 1's and 1 was in 3's. Took about 20 seconds to fix it.

And now you all can feel free to begin making fun of me. I deserve it.

Back to dormant retirement for the TR300.

barliman2001

@bigdub Wayne, I presume you started playing music on a viola. Only viola players can't count to three...
You know:
Conductor, "Start again at measure 2!"
Violas: "We don't have numbers!!"

Dale Proctor

I refrained from commenting on this thread till now, and I think out of courtesy, I will say no more…

BigDub

@barliman2001 said in This is strange.:

@bigdub Wayne, I presume you started playing music on a viola. Only viola players can't count to three...
You know:
Conductor, "Start again at measure 2!"
Violas: "We don't have numbers!!"

Touché

BigDub

@dale-proctor said in This is strange.:

I refrained from commenting on this thread till now, and I think out of courtesy, I will say no more…

Well, that’s no fun

barliman2001

I think that this matter is now resolved, and we can close this thread. Agreed?