****************************************************************************************************************************************** Almost all tuba players and band directors know this stuff already, but just in case you don’t…. Here’s how to keep your tuba alive FOREVER: 1) Bring it to a competent repair shop once a year to have them remove dents and dings. Most shops are now using super-magnets to remove tuba dents. That means it’s often not necessary to unsolder joints so that dents can be burnished out. And with magnets, the cost to remove dents is much lower than it was a decade ago….before magnets were available. 2) Make sure your repair shop touches up areas that show worn finish. It’s easy and inexpensive to do a quick “over-spray” to protect the brass. It makes the tuba look better and the touch-up finish means the metal won’t wear. 3) Keep your tuba players informed about valve oil. Oil doesn’t cost much and it keeps valves from becoming loose from un-lubricated wear. 4) Don’t, please don’t, have your repair shop dip valves in acid to clean them. Soap and water and nothing else, please. Three acid dips and your valves will be so loose that your tuba will never play right again! 5) If mouthpipes wear through or get “dezincification” ( “red rot” ) it’s not a big deal. Replace the pipe, touch up the finish and you’ll get another decade out of your tuba. No reason, in our opinion, to replace your tubas every few years. Find a good brass repair shop, educate your tuba players about how to take care of your instruments and you’ll get decades of use out of your instruments! ******************************************************************************************************** Questions about brasses? Telephone us at 1-800-835-3006. Wichita Band Instrument Company is a small musical instrument emporium located in the center of the USA. We've been in business since 1953 and have had the same owner since 1963. Originally we were a repair shop that specialized in wind instrument restoration. Today we have 16 employees including eight of the finest repair technicians in the country. Wichita Band's service warranty is the same as it's been for more than thirty years: ALL new and all used instruments sold by Wichita Band Instrument Company come with our 24 month service warranty. It's in addition to any factory guarantees. For two full years, we will repair or replace, whichever in our estimation is the more advisable, pads, corks, springs or other parts required, at no charge to the customer. The customer is responsible for shipping and insurance charges. Cases and plating finishes are not covered by our service warranty but are sometimes covered by factory guarantees. Wichita Band's service warranty does cover dents and dings to your instrument. If your instrument sustains damage to the body, end bow, neck, slides or bell, we'll burnish out the dents and make it look like new again. The cost you is absolutely nothing except for shipping and insurance charges. Wichita Band Instrument Company maintains a repair department capable of restoration work of the highest quality. Even though repairs are essentially free for the first two years, after that period has expired, we remain at your service to maintain and repair your musical equipment forever. It's our service after the sale promise and has been since 1953! In the event that a customer requires service under factory guarantees or Wichita Band's service warranty, the item must be returned to us and not directly to the manufacturer. Anything we sell can be sent to you for a short approval period without obligation. We collect NO SALES TAX, unless you're lucky enough to live in Kansas. The customer is responsible for shipping and insurance and must pre-pay back to us any freight charges on returned equipment. International shipping is available. Returned items will be refunded within 2 weeks of receiving the item. We're happy to send any instrument on approval for five days, but ask the prospective buyer to pay shipping both ways and to please reimburse us for posting, clean-up and restocking charges (2.95% on credit card transactions/no restocking charge on PayPal transactions) on any returned instrument. Ebay authorized payment methods: PayPal or credit/debit card processed through our internet merchant account. Buyers outside of the USA are responsible for all import duties and customs clearance charges in their respective countries. We may refuse paypal and/or credit card payments from some countries. We're happy to correspond with musicians, players, parents and enthusiasts of all types. Written appraisals are always available, but please don't write or telephone and ask "what's granny's baritone sax worth?" Do an Ebay search and you'll learn more than we could ever tell you.