custom refinishing!

[Vtrpt]

CUSTOM REFINISHING>}! guys give me your thoughts on first .. does redoing a silver horn in one of the gold or lacquer finishes trully darken the sound..really? or is it something that is theorietical but not really hearable?? does the beadblast degrade the finish as some say??? over all thoughts based on true experience and knolwledge please ") I have a la benge 5 and trully would like to darken the sound..they are very bright!
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Vtrpt

[Crazy Finn]

A Benge 5X isn't that bright for a Benge. If it's very bright, that's a you thing. Benges in general tend to the bright side overall, but the 5X isn't that bright among the Benges, or overall, in my opinion.

Changing the finish doesn't change the tone of the instrument significantly.

Changing a silver finish to some sort of lacquer or beadblast finish is a far more intensive finish project. You have to strip the silver - either with a chemical strip or some places just buff it off. Then you have to buff it down to get it ready for a lacquer finish. Basically, you're you're going to make the bell and brass thinner that they are currently to apply a new finish. That probably more than negates any darkening that a different finish would create - in other words, you might end up with a brighter horn than you started with.

Most of the horn's tone comes from the player. While the specific horn might temper it somewhat one way or another, unless it's a specifically very bright or dark horn (which, honestly your Benge is not), it's more a shading than a drastic change.

To make your Benge less bright you:

- Play with a different approach and sound concept
- Try a darker sounding mouthpiece
- Get someone to mutilate your Benge by soldering a bunch of heavy brass sheeting and bracing on it
- Get a different horn

I don't like mutilating horns to fit the player, when a different horn would probably work better. They aren't making more Benges, they're beloved horns, it'd be a shame to mess it up with some beadblast finish or silly bracing. I maybe should have bought the 5X I played a few years ago, the price looks great, now. Oh well, I really didn't need MORE horns.
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LA Benge 3X Bb Trumpet
Selmer Radial Bb Trumpet
Yamaha 6335S Bb Trumpet
Besson 709 Bb Trumpet
Bach 184L Bb Cornet
Yamaha 731 Bb Flugelhorn

[kehaulani]

I tend to agree that the Benge isn't going to be darkened much and you probably need to live with that in mind or stop fighting it Just get another, darker horn.

While we're on the subject, I also understand that these horns blow a little more than the other Benge MLs. not a large bore but bigger "feeling" than ML. More air, that us. If that's true, might that already darken a Benge as much as it can be?
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"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn

[OldSchoolEuph]

Change your mouthpiece, change your technique. None of what you listed will darken a horn - and as Benges go, 5s are darker to start with.

Plating and modern epoxy lacquer alters tone in the eyes only - the spectrum analyzer shows us it's too thin to make a difference,

Bead-blast removes metal thus mass, reducing damping, and hardens brass, reducing damping - if anything, it brightens.
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Ron Berndt
www.trumpet-history.com

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