adding weight to bottom valve caps

[barryj1]

I picked up a packet of brass washers at the hardware store in order to add weight to the bottom valve caps. I had to use my drill press as a lathe in order to slightly reduce the size of the washers so they fit properly into the bottom of the caps but that proved fairly easy. Over the past six months or so I experimented with an endless configuration of washer combinations and this is what I discovered.

1.) As weight was added, the cornet tone became more focused and centered, changing quite dramatically how various mouthpieces responded. For example, the Denis Wick #2 seems to play more efficiently with a more centered tone and improved slotting. Stamina as well as intonation are noticeably better.
2.) Reducing weight tends to open up the sound slightly, but I much prefer the ease of moving about the horn with the tighter (i.e. heavier) settings.
3.) The DW2 cornet mouthpiece has a rather large bore on the throat, which requires more lung power/air for proper slotting. The brass washers reduce this problem, allowing me to play more confidently in all registers.
4.) Several washer settings ruined the sound altogether and rendered the horn virtually unplayable.

The added weight (i.e. I presently have 3 washers in each of the bottom caps for a total of nine) produced an additional benefit in that it delivers better feedback as you move about the horn. I can ‘feel’ the notes better, which adds to confidence.
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Flip Oaks 1X mouthpiece

[Dayton]

This is really interesting! Thanks for sharing the results of your experimentation.

[FlugelDG]

Yeah, exactly the same when you add a counterweight to a trombone that has no cw at first, it stiffens the horn a bit to get a better slotting...

I also added a weight to a flugelhorn leadpipe and it did the same : less difuse sound, so more focused and easiest time to get the high range...
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Flugel and trombone amateur player

[Rogerrr]

This is fascinating…but why?

What is causing it??
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Sax player learning cornet & trumpet...and occasionally a little bit of trombone.
( so don't confuse me with an experienced player )

[JayKosta]

[barryj1]

I made another slight adjustment and was able to improve things further by placing a smaller washer beneath a full-size washer in each of the three valve caps, effectively cutting the added weight by half. This made the horn freer blowing, while maintaining all the benefits noted above.
Additionally how tight you screw the valve caps dramatically effects how the horn responds. I realize that this sound rather nutty, but you can't argue with success, since the cornet both sounds and responds/plays noticeably better with the extra weight.
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Getzen 800DLX cornet
Flip Oaks 1X mouthpiece

[QuantumBops]

Is this a modification that would be appropriate for playing in an ensemble setting?

Thanks!
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-Stay Groovy People

[Andy Cooper]

Adding weight can have a dramatic effect on how a horn handles. There are some problems however - I took an older student King cornet (springs on the outside of the piston stems) and added Curry CC caps, and faux harmonic stabilizers on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd valve slides.

It was outstanding. Loved it.

Then I took it to a community band rehearsal - sitting in the middle of a section. Sadly feedback was so meager that I couldn't tell if I was even playing. I started taking off weights until I was back to the original cornet.

I've become convinced that if you want a heavily weighted horn, it needs to be designed that way from the start to get the needed player feedback.

I'm sticking to the single washer in my 3rd bottom valve cap and some messing around with O rings.

[Brassnose]

That’s about what I have: one Bach heavy cap on the third valve of the Bach. Tightens the slotting, which I like. Two or three heavy caps make the horn really stiff and hard to play.
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2019 Martin Schmidt eXcellence
1992 Bach 43GH/43
1989 Kühnl & Hoyer Model 15 flugel
1980/2023 Custom Blessing Scholastic C 😎
1977 Conn 6B
1951 Buescher 400 Lightweight
AR Resonance, Frate, Klier

[Dale Proctor]

I’ve tried Bach heavy bottom caps on all three of my Bach horns (ML 43 Bb, ML 239 C, & L 184G cornet). I like some of the effects, like better slotting and a smoother sound, but they seemed to lessen the projection and made the upper register a bit more taxing on all three instruments. The fewer heavy caps I used, the less the effect, but I don’t really like even one cap on the 3rd valve.

As for the standard bottom caps, I also find that leaving them just barely finger tight improves the agility and ease of playing in the upper register.
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"Brass bands are all very well in their place - outdoors and several miles away ." - Sir Thomas Beecham

[barryj1]

I have a Flip Oaks 1XD cornet mouthpiece that is larger and deeper (i.e. in terms of cup volume) than the DW 2. Earlier this month I added more weight to the valve caps and found that the Flip Oaks piece was responding better than ever. The tone was broad and very dark with a solid pitch center. I have played this mouthpiece regularly over the past few years but could never sound this good prior to adding the weight – four washers in each of the valve caps. Twelve brass washers – I know that sounds quite crazy, but every aspect of my playing has improved since I added the weight. The cornet responds so much more efficiently that my lips don’t seem to tire even after unusually long practice sessions.
_________________
Getzen 800DLX cornet
Flip Oaks 1X mouthpiece