This Artist series Gold Plated Chu Berry Alto is going through major mechanical restoration. The body was very bent, tone holes warped, a cracked receiver, lots of damage to the body-to-bell brace, and had mostly non-original pivot screws. The body work has just begun. We can’t wait until this beautiful Chu can sing again!
A new receiver and tapered tenon have been installed to replace the cracked receiver:
The bell had been soldered on crooked, the bell-to-body brace was mangled, and both the bell and the body were pushed in by the brace. Now, the bell is soldered in its correct spot, the dents removed, and the brace straightened out.
On the left is what the Low B ought to look like, for comparison. The right, is the result of a past tech trying to make that key work on a bell that was soldered on crooked.
Because it is difficult to precisely tension a spring when it must pass through a spring hole, we have cut a cradle for the C key. Between this and a set of our new blued needle springs, this horn will have a great feel!
The old roller screws didn’t fit the keys or the rollers.
Nobody likes a bad screw…
There was a lot of pitting on many of key touches where the gold had worn away long ago. We took care to not remove too much metal, but smoothed these babies out and gave them a coat of lacquer. They feel great!
Sean’s horn in the pad room with new almost everything! New rods, screws, pearls, springs, pads, materials, rollers, key contacts, receiver + tenon. Most of all, a new lease on life!