Instrument Rebuild Questions

[HornboneandVocals]

Hey all,

I’ve got an issue with my xo1240 bass. It’s full of manufacturing defects. I purchased it years ago and daily drove it through 4 years of hs and now 3 semesters of music school.

I love it, it’s comfortable to play, and sounds good to the point of when I meet a new teacher they’re curious what horn I have because of the tone. It’s incredibly diverse and unique.

All this to say it’s full of manufacturing defects. There was a ball of extra soldering on the inside of the bell/bell section seam. I know there’s tension in different spots on the bell valve section and poorly aligned valve slides.

I’ve been thinking about finding a shop to fully rebuild it over the summer. Would this be the correct way to go? What would the price for a big job like this be? I love the horn and I want to get as much out of it as possible, and have heard several other members here notice incredible results from having bell sections or valves re-soldered. I’d love any thoughts or suggestions!
Thank you

[Posaunus]

Yes, your trombone would surely benefit from a "destressing" and rebuilding from a qualified brass technician. The price will probably be less than you fear.

You are lucky to live (reasonably) near one of the good ones who could accomplish this for you.
John Sandhagen, in Claremont, California, is only about 90 miles (1½ hours) from Palomar College. He does excellent work - and is himself a bass trombonist. Depending on his workload, he may only need to keep your trombone for a few days.

You will almost surely love the improvement.

Good luck.

[sungfw]

Yes, your trombone would surely benefit from a "destressing" and rebuilding from a qualified brass technician.

Surely??? Destressing and rebuilding will change some things about how the horn plays-- including, in all likelihood, the sound. Those changes may be significant or they may be minor, but something (somethings) about it will change. Whether or not the changes are in a direction the OP considers beneficial can only be known after the work is done, and it's damnably hard to recreate the magic once you mess with the original alchemy.

Sure, most of the players I know that have had this sort of work done have been pleased with the result; but I've known more than a few who lament losing the je ne sais quoi that made their horn magic because they thought "fixing" something about it would make a great horn even better.

You will almost surely love the improvement.

Emphasis on "almost."

[hornbuilder]

Know that if you want the job done properly, you're actually looking at a "complete" rebuild. Meaning, every single solder joint is pulled, and the entire horn is reassembled. There may be parts replacement involved, depending on how big the gaps between parts are underneath the ferrules (and yes, there are gaps under pretty much "every" ferrule of the vast majority of factory made horns!) Then the horn would be rebuffed and re lacquered. Not a quick or cheap prospect. I have never had an instrument play "worse" for having this done, but have certainly changed many "average" horns into great players

[Matt K]

XO is right around the cusp of it not being economical imo. If it’s sentimental that’s one thing, but I would personally sell and look for something else but I tend to not like the Jupiter offerings

[Lastbone]

If your bass plays as well as you say, see a good tech and make a plan. At least get the valve slides aligned; you probably don't need a full rebuild. Basses are awfully fussy instruments, and if you have one that works GREAT for you, hang onto it. You could spend a long time trying to find another that plays so well.