Valve Alignments
Precisely aligned valve ports can change how an instrument feels and responds. Here’s what an alignment involves, when it helps, and the two options we offer.
The What
When valve instruments are manufactured, the pistons are machined as a mirror image of the valve casing so all of the port holes line up perfectly. From there, spring housings and other parts are typically soldered or screwed onto the pistons, and felts of some variety are placed on top of the valve stem, on top of the valve cap and/or under the valve button. If done correctly, this final combination of felts should let the port holes in the pistons match up perfectly with the holes in the valve casing as the piston is depressed or raised.
Traditionally these felts have been — and with many manufacturers still are — made of a material that compresses and degrades over time as the instrument is used. As this happens, the valves fall out of the factory-specified alignment and the felts need to be replaced. Because these felts often aren’t a particularly accurate or consistently made part, alignments can vary from horn to horn or even piston to piston. Inconsistent build quality among some high-volume manufacturers can amplify how often and how severely this happens.
Does it matter?
Yes — every variable in a horn affects how it plays for a given performer. The real question is whether an alignment will help you achieve the results you want.
As noted in our philosophy, we don’t treat adjustments as one-size-fits-all or promise a single change will fix a specific problem.
Over the years I’ve worked with countless players from every part of the music business, each with different needs and goals. I’ve been asked to put dents back in horns because it changed the feel of certain articulations, to loosen tolerances on slides, or to put foil tape on certain spots to dampen the feel. Those are all mechanical imperfections and completely counterintuitive for a technician — but my job is to make the horn play how the performer wants it to play.
Valve alignments achieve optimal mechanical accuracy, but they’re just one more adjustment that can potentially help. If a player is finely acclimated to an instrument and an alignment is done only in the hope of making a good horn better, that isn’t always the result. For every player who has benefited greatly, I can name another who, after the “honeymoon” period, put their old felts back in. Every edge and reflection point inside a horn helps regulate bore turbulence, and sometimes leaving a certain imperfection alone is just the right touch to make a horn feel like home.
The How: Two Options
If you choose to have an alignment done, it helps to understand the process and the options so you can make the best choice for your instrument.
Option 1 · PVA
Valve Port Alignment
$56 per piston
We measure every variable of each piston’s up and down stroke to within 0.0005" (half of one-thousandth of an inch) using specialized tooling, then determine the exact combination of pads and shims needed for proper alignment. Fabricated materials can’t realistically hold that number, but we guarantee a usable accuracy of 0.002" on every alignment.
Option 2
Valve Port Calibration
$25 per piston
For players who love how their instrument plays right now, for better or worse. We measure the existing pads and felts and replace them with synthetic, non-compressible felts at their current specifications — locking in the alignment you already prefer, so it won’t drift as traditional felts compress and degrade.
Prices as listed on our brass repair pricing page and subject to change.
Not Sure Which Is Right for You?
Bring your horn in or reach out — we’ll talk through how it plays and what you’re after.