Maintenance - Yamaha Sousaphones Owner's Manual

Maintenance

■ After Playing
After playing the instrument, make sure that moisture or dirt is removed from it
using the procedure described below.
●
Valve slide maintenance
1.
Depress the piston or lever that corresponds
to the valve slide you want to clean, and
remove the slide.
* Removing the valve slide without holding the
piston down creates a drop in air pressure
within the pipe, creating a suction which can
result in poor piston function or damage to
the inside of the pipe.
2.
Remove moisture from the slide. Also, re-
move moisture from the water key.
Water Key
* The valve slides are made of brass or nickel
silver which are both excellent at resisting
corrosion. However, corrosion may appear
if moisture is left in the instrument for an
extended period of time. Please use caution.
28
●
Oil the pistons
As done before playing the instrument, apply
some valve oil to the pistons and move them
up and down a few times. (See page 24)
●
Oil the rotors (Rotary tuba only)
As done before playing the instrument, apply
some rotor spindle oil to the rotors and move
the levers a few times. (See page 24)
●
Body maintenance
Use a polishing cloth to gently wipe the
instrument's surface. If dirt or tarnish is obvi-
ous, the following products can be used.
For lacquer finishes
Polishing cloth + lacquer polish
For silver plate
Silver cloth + silver polish
For a beautiful shine, buff the instrument with
a silicone cloth.