Bach 43 Bell

[Brent]

Can anyone provide a history of the Bach 43 bell?

It's normally described as a little more brilliant sounding than the 37 bell. Given that, was it perhaps Vincent Bach's take on the classic French Besson bell?

Brent S
_________________
Brent

[kramergfy]

In my experience, the 43 is brighter than the 37 in that it has a tad less center and more spread. Tonal placement is slightly more nimble, and you can push it further, and get a little more sizzle maybe. The 37 is more compact with a stronger center, with a solid “ring”. Both have a very distinct core and ringing sound, so these differences are slight, and it requires a discerning ear to even notice honestly. They both sound great.

The 43 bell looks much different than the 3x Burbank Benge bell, which I understand is a faithful representation of the Besson design.
_________________
"I'm 73 and I'm still learning." - Maurice Murphy

Thread killer.

[rdpyle]

Bach copied many different Paris Besson bells over the years. I am certain that the Bach 5, 7, 10, 37, 42, 43, and 46 B-flat bell mandrels were all copies of various Paris Bessons. I believe the 6 is as well, although I have never found confirmation of that. I'm not sure which of these could be considered the "classic" Besson bell, as they were all copied from classic Bessons. I haven't found a lot of history, but I do know that the 37 bell came from an earlier vintage Besson than the 43.

-Robin

[JonathanM]

Sound is relative; very, very relative. I recently had a Strad 43 ML bore that, to my ear, was not bright at all. It did produce a gorgeous tone with sparkle (some might say ‘bright overtones’), but I think few would have called its tone bright. I wouldn’t call it’s tone dark either; I’d call it about perfect.
I like Rd’s comments, and also Kramer’s. For those that unequivocally state a huge difference in sound between Bach bells, I wonder. No doubt some differ greatly in tone, but I suspect personal tone development, air volume and mouthpiece choice may make more difference.
Gordon, a frequent TH contributor, plays a Strad 43 and his sound, while not dead, would probably not be described as bright either, in my opinion. I personally think core and overtones are more at issue, or at least as much at issue, as terms like bright and dark.
This is my .02 in mini rant form.
As to history, I’ll follow this thread to learn more; this is a great topic.
_________________
Jonathan Milam
Trumpets: 18043B, 18043*, 18043 Sterling Silver +, 18037 SterlingSilver+, Benge 4x, Olds: '34 Symphony, '47 Super, '52 Recording
Flugle: Strad 182
Puje: American Belle
Cornet: Olds Recording & Super

[EdMann]

I've owned many, but of the ones I have, the NY 6, early Elk 37 and early Elk 43, bright to less bright in that order. That said, the 43 with a shallowish set up is amaZing!

ed

[AndyDavids]

[OldSchoolEuph]

[OldSchoolEuph]

[Steve Hollahan]

I asked Lloyd Filio (sp?) about the Bach bell numbers. He told me Vincent never explained them and he believed they were arbitrary.

I personally believe that the numbers mean something, but Vincent decided not to reveal that.
_________________
Steve Hollahan
Bach 37, 229 C
Yamaha 9620 D-Eb, 741 C, Flugel
Kanstul 900 piccolo trumpet
Sculptured Recrafting Custom Instrument Repair
and Restoration
www.sculpturedrecrafting.com

[OldSchoolEuph]