Blueprinting

James Becker · Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2017 7:51 am Post subject:

Thank you too Mark for your kind words. If the design of an instrument like your E.K. Blessing BTR-1580 is sound and is well made there is hope. We find most off the shelf instruments will have some perturbations often due to the time constraints imposed on workers to meet production expectations. We take the extra time to measure, document and correct the types of things that get overlooked at the factory. Simply put, this defines what our blueprinting process is all about.

Enjoy!
_________________
James Becker
Brass Repair Specialist Since 1977
Osmun Music Inc.
77 Powdermill Road Rt.62
Acton, MA 01720
www.osmun.com

Our workshop is as close as your nearest UPS store https://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en_US

ammonshea · Regular Member Joined: 03 Jun 2015 Posts: 17 Location: NYC

I'd meant to post this a few months back, but just recently got around to activating my membership here. I had James blueprint a 1972 Bach 43 at the beginning of this year, and was pretty delighted with the difference in the horn.
Sure, blueprinting costs money, but my overall increased happiness with the instrument makes it seem like a small price to pay.

James Becker · Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 7:21 am Post subject:

Thank you Ammon for chiming in with your positive thoughts on how your Bach 43 Bb trumpet turned out after blueprinting. You're among a growing list of satisfied customers enjoying the difference our attention to detail can provide players.
_________________
James Becker
Brass Repair Specialist Since 1977
Osmun Music Inc.
77 Powdermill Road Rt.62
Acton, MA 01720
www.osmun.com

Our workshop is as close as your nearest UPS store https://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en_US

JWagner · Posted: Mon May 15, 2017 1:30 pm Post subject:

I've sent my (already great) Bach Anniversary 37 Bb, Bach 183G flugelhorn, and Artisan piccolo trumpet to be Blueprinted at Osmun and have noticed great improvements in intonation, evenness of tone, and response on all three as have my colleagues. Everyone who's played the horns have even told me if I ever want to sell any of them they would be a buyer. When I get a chance my Bach Artisan C will be going for Blueprinting as well. One thing I am looking forward to is one of Osmun's piccolo trumpet leadpipes.

They will contact you about what is needed before they do the work so you can make the decision before the work is done and explain the what and why of each part of the process. Top flight people!
_________________
Joshua Wagner
Director of Jazz Bands
Applied Trumpet and Music Appreciation Instructor
Northwestern Michigan College
Bach Artist & Clinician
joshuawagnermusic.com

James Becker · Posted: Tue May 16, 2017 11:07 am Post subject:

Thank you Joshua Wagner for your favorable review of us blueprinting your three instruments. Reading posts like your's makes our day and supports the validity of the services we provide brass players.

Thank your for your repeat business! We look forward to serving you again in the future.
_________________
James Becker
Brass Repair Specialist Since 1977
Osmun Music Inc.
77 Powdermill Road Rt.62
Acton, MA 01720
www.osmun.com

Our workshop is as close as your nearest UPS store https://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en_US

J.D. Heckathorn · Veteran Member Joined: 16 Aug 2018 Posts: 124

Apologies for the necro-thread bump, but this particular thread is the top search result for Blueprinting and it was one of the first resources I referenced when I became interested in having it done on one of my horns. So instead of creating a new thread I figured I'd add to the one i found useful in my research.

Off the rip I must say my experience was nothing but positive.

I recently sent my Bach to Osmun Music for the blueprinting service they offer. My horn is one of the newer model Bach LR19043B "Mariachi" Strads which I acquired barely used as a demo model still in its original packaging, including a surprise of a new Bach 3C mouthpiece. When I got it it was clear it had been sitting for most of its life, slides/valves basically dry.

Upon giving it a good workout for a few days it was clear that while I loved the sound/feel there was something not quite right with the valve feel, the fit of the main tuning slide and terrible slotting of certain pitches (high Ab using 23 valves for example).

My first thought when embarking on thinking about getting this done was "how could a brand new horn need any "improvement""? This thread helped me with that, and also my discussion via email with Jim and Tim at Osmun once I became more serious.

The process of sending the horn was much easier than I anticipated, although I'm in Ohio and not all that far from MA so the cost of shipping may vary. I set up an appointment time through their site and had the horn shipped well ahead of time. Tim Cote was in contact with me after the initial inspection by Jim and gave me some options. I had inquired about adding a 3rd slide water key but decided against it for now, otherwise it was to be a standard blueprinting.

Upon receiving the horn back, I planned to do this write up and give my experiences since reading all of the other users' experiences was such a great help. Unfortunately it took me a few days because it was tough putting the horn down! While Jim/tim commented that there weren't any major tweaks necessary, the things that were done (bell bow rounding, burr removal, tuning slide fit, etc) definitely had an impact on the response and feedback of the horn. The playing experience was such that the working elements of the horn got out of my way and I was no longer distracted by any perceived drawbacks as I was before. At first I considered placebo effect, until it became obvious the horn was much more even tuning up and down the scale and alternate fingerings became unnecessary.

I recorded most of my parts for a solo EP project I've been working on before sending the horn off to Osmun, but now I want to re-record and add parts just to see what improvements I can make! Whether you're convinced or not by all the technical aspects of the blueprinting process, if your instrument inspires you to keep playing, then it's all worth it.

John

James Becker · Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2020 3:37 pm Post subject:

Thank you John for entrusting us with your Bach Bb trumpet and sharing your positive experience from our blueprinting service. Reading how satisfied players are with our work makes my day!
_________________
James Becker
Brass Repair Specialist Since 1977
Osmun Music Inc.
77 Powdermill Road Rt.62
Acton, MA 01720
www.osmun.com

Our workshop is as close as your nearest UPS store https://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en_US

Eliot · Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2020 4:19 am Post subject:

James Becker · Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2020 9:44 am Post subject:

I'd like to share today's trumpet blueprinting numbers. This is a Bach C180L229G with an aftermarket leadpipe, valve stems and buttons.

Valve measurements before correction:

#1 up -.002" down -.029", #2 up +.016" down -.023", #3 +.007" down -.026"

Bell cross section constriction correction: bottom turn .026", top turn .002"

Slides de-burred and sized.

Our customer had hoped the aftermarket leadpipe would improve intonation on his trumpet, but was disappointed when it hadn't. However, after completing our blueprinting service it now plays very well, in tune with itself, has an easy, open and even feel and sound across the registers. This demonstrates that if perturbations in the bore remain, the benefits of aftermarket components can’t make up for these deviations in the bore.

This is a very satisfying outcome.
_________________
James Becker
Brass Repair Specialist Since 1977
Osmun Music Inc.
77 Powdermill Road Rt.62
Acton, MA 01720
www.osmun.com

Our workshop is as close as your nearest UPS store https://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en_US

falado · Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2020 11:48 am Post subject:

Hi, I sent my newly acquired Bach 239C to Jim and anxiously awaiting the transformation. Jim has done some of my horns already and all with positive affects.

Dave
_________________
FA LA DO (Ab: V/ii) MUCS, USN (Ret.)
Stomvi VR (Reeves) with VR II Bell
Bach 239 25A C, Blueprinted
Bach 37, Early Elkhart, Blueprinted
Kanstul Flugel
Getzen 4 valve Pic.
Yamaha D/Eb
Besson Cornet

flynnr2 · New Member Joined: 12 Apr 2020 Posts: 4

Adding my positive experience to this thread.

The folks at Osmun recently blueprinted + properly cleaned my ‘47 Olds Super Recording (valves are pretty tight having been redone a while back & little used since). I’ll defer to them on the specific details if anyone interested / Osmun is inclined to share, but roughly speaking tidied up 70-odd years of solder & burrs & detritus, bell & tuning bows checked, valves aligned, etc.

Changes in playing are quite noticeable. Much more even throughout the registers, particularly the resonance and between alternate fingerings (this is what led me down this path in the first place, playing Clarke with alternate fingerings ... depressing the 3rd valve was like suddenly playing much stuffier horn). Noticeably easier slotting in the upper register. As noted in previous posts, shocking how much the cumulative effects of small imperfections can affect the playing quality of a horn.

In terms of customer service, they could not have been more pleasant to deal with (I am fortunate to live within driving distance, so was able to drop-off & pick-up, in a suitably CV-19 distanced manner of course!).

All in all, highly recommended (and Osmun will be getting my cornet at some point in the near future for a similar treatment!).

James Becker · Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2020 5:12 pm Post subject:

I’d like to give flynnr2 a big THANK YOU for sharing your positive experience. The word is getting out thanks to folks like you. We look forward to receiving your second instrument for blueprinting!
_________________
James Becker
Brass Repair Specialist Since 1977
Osmun Music Inc.
77 Powdermill Road Rt.62
Acton, MA 01720
www.osmun.com

Our workshop is as close as your nearest UPS store https://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en_US

falado · Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 5:03 am Post subject:

Hi all, I'm just following up on the post I did Feb 3 about obtaining a Bach 239 C. I've known Jim for years and occasionally asked his advice on getting a C for the type playing I'm doing, mostly church work and some Brass Quintet with a C. Since my Schilke S22 wasn't cutting it for me transitioning from Bb to C on the gig, he recommended I get a Bach 239 C with a 25A pipe. I found these hard to find I finally bought a 239 with standard pipe for $1000.00 from a music store that dropped the price from $1800.00. I got it knowing it was a project horn, but try to buy a Bach 239 for that price, hard to find. I Played it a bit and it had the usual Bach intonation funnies and 2nd valve, or any combination there of, intonation was a challenge. Also played a bit stuffy. I wanted a C that made an easy transition going from Bb to C without too much adjusting. I had this problem with my Schilke. I always felt like I was going to a much smaller horn and it took time to climatize.

I sent the Bach to Jim Becker at Osmun Music. I got the horn back a couple of weeks later and here are the results. It's had a 25A pipe and new tuning slide put on, PVA, good compression on the valves, dents taken out, de-lacquered and polished (it's now raw brass, the original lacquer was a mess), all the blueprinting stuff. This horn now, by far, out plays my Schilke S22 (sold it to a grad student). It was an adequate C when I got it, it now is a player. Going from my Bb to playing this C is now a pleasure and not a chore. Yes, have to use alternate fingerings here and there on occasion (who doesn't on a C), but it is now fun to play on this C trumpet. I'm looking forward to getting back to the quintet playing once we are lifted from the COVID19 stuff.

Over the years I have sent several horns to Jim for fixing or blueprinting. He even did a couple while I was in town and waited over lunch. They have all have come back better players, some even looking better. Yes, there are costs involved, but I look at my horns as tools for my trade and always look for what makes my job easier and fun.

Dave
_________________
FA LA DO (Ab: V/ii) MUCS, USN (Ret.)
Stomvi VR (Reeves) with VR II Bell
Bach 239 25A C, Blueprinted
Bach 37, Early Elkhart, Blueprinted
Kanstul Flugel
Getzen 4 valve Pic.
Yamaha D/Eb
Besson Cornet

James Becker · Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 8:52 am Post subject:

Thank you Dave for your kind words.

Certainly Bach C trumpets represent a large percentage of my blueprinting jobs, we’ve been seeing all manner of trumpets arrive lately for our exclusive service.

Just last week I had an Elkhart Conn 6B in for blueprinting. It played okay when it arrived but felt a bit “off”. After performing the full blueprinting and cleaning, it was transformed into an exceptional playing trumpet.

Of course, not every instrument requires the entire list of individual line items. For example today I worked on a YTR-8335 Xeno Anniversary model that needed a cleaning and precision valve alignment. Everything else about this instrument checked out fine.

I am so very grateful to those of you that have entrusted your instruments to our care. Such satisfying work for an appreciative clientele. If you haven’t noticed yet, I really enjoy my job!

And blueprinting doesn’t end with trumpets/cornets/flugelhorns. We now offer blueprinting of Horns. Previously limited to Conn 8D and referred to as “8D prep”, seeking out irregularities in the bore and correcting them, along with some mechanical upgrades to the valve action. So if you play Horn or know someone that does, please share. We greatly appreciate your referrals.
_________________
James Becker
Brass Repair Specialist Since 1977
Osmun Music Inc.
77 Powdermill Road Rt.62
Acton, MA 01720
www.osmun.com

Our workshop is as close as your nearest UPS store https://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en_US

TrptSTP · Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 9:10 am Post subject:

I don't know if it counts as a true blueprinting, but I still play my Kanstul 920 piccolo that Mr. Becker worked on for me. It came back a different horn in the best way possible.

I take it as a sign of a trustworthy tech when they explain that you don't need something extra rather than just taking as much money for you as humanly possible. Rather than adding triggers or rings to the first slide, the valve alignment really cleared up most of my issues with that particular horn. With that and the Osmun leadpipe, I haven't felt the need to search out a different picc for years now.

falado · Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 9:22 am Post subject:

Jim, you are most welcome. Just finished doing my Earl Irons and Clark 2 routines going back and forth with the Bb and C and every transition was smooth. I've never been able to do that before, C's always felt squirrely after playing the Bb. Not anymore, after my rest period it's time to hit some excerpts and my SA.

Thanks again, Dave
_________________
FA LA DO (Ab: V/ii) MUCS, USN (Ret.)
Stomvi VR (Reeves) with VR II Bell
Bach 239 25A C, Blueprinted
Bach 37, Early Elkhart, Blueprinted
Kanstul Flugel
Getzen 4 valve Pic.
Yamaha D/Eb
Besson Cornet

benlewis · Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 2:16 pm Post subject:

Thanks for taking care of my Xeno 25th Anniversary today, Mr. Becker!!! Can't wait to get it back...

Ben

James Becker · Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 5:17 pm Post subject:

Thanks Ben for your continued support and repeat business!
_________________
James Becker
Brass Repair Specialist Since 1977
Osmun Music Inc.
77 Powdermill Road Rt.62
Acton, MA 01720
www.osmun.com

Our workshop is as close as your nearest UPS store https://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en_US

benlewis · Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2020 12:45 pm Post subject:

Just to follow up on the work Mr. Becker did to my Bb; it did not need blueprinting, but he did a precision valve alignment, a chemical cleaning and a polish. It was a really good Bb before, but now it's great!!! Sound, flexibility, and response are all greatly improved.

I cannot recommend Jim Becker and Osmun highly enough. Thanks for all you've done for me...

Ben