schilke repairs

nowave · Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2004 9:20 am Post subject:

Thought I'd share this with the forum. Apologies in advance if this is common knowledge.

As most of you schilke-holics know, Ron Pinc (who worked for Schilke for years) has been one of the prime repair guys to go to since Schilke stopped doing in-house work on their horns. I'm currently having him convert my fixed-bell B1b to a tuning-bell. (The impetus for this came from trying my brother's B1bL: I was amazed by the difference in the response of the horn.)

Anyway, Ron's just informed me that mine may be the last such conversion he does. He told me that Schilke is re-opening its repair department, and therefore will no longer be selling parts to any outside repair shop.

Ultimately, while unfortunate for Ron (and others), this has to be a good thing: Schilke seems to be reaffirming its long-term commitment to its products.

In the meantime, I'm glad that my horn is in Ron's hands, as he's a great guy to work with and he's done literally hundreds of these conversions. Can't wait to get it back!

bdev · Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2004 11:18 am Post subject:

Let us know how it works out for you. I'm thinking of doing the same thing to my B1. I contacted Schilke about 2 months ago and they said they weren't doing any conversions but would sell me the parts for about $290.00. Add in the labor costs and it looks as if it would cost around 500 bucks for the conversion if it was done by someone other than Schilke. I think I'll contact them for a price and see if it's worth it.
_________________
Schilke B1L / GRe65M/e65S
Yamaha B.Shew Flugel / GRe65FD
Olds Super Trumpet (LA 1946) GRe65MX
Reynolds Emperor Trumpet (1961)
Bach Strad 37 Trumpet
Holton 25 Cornet / Bach 6
MDT Morrison Trumpet (wind controller)

mulligan stew · Heavyweight Member Joined: 02 Jul 2003 Posts: 1846

that is, ultimately, good news...I wonder if the schilke shop will do any custom work (substitute rings for hooks, etc.).

Who will be the head repair guy there?

nowave · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2004 4:55 am Post subject:

bdev,
I'll post an update once I get it back. The horn's making a detour through the Brass Bow for a PVA, so probably won't see it until mid-Feb.

I really was surprised at the difference the tuning-bell made in terms of quickening an already fast-responding horn; it's a dramatic difference.

nowave · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2004 5:00 am Post subject:

forgot to add: the price from Ron was significantly less than $500....
mulligan: I didn't get the name of the Schilke repair guy, but Ron said that he was someone who's been at Schilke for a long, long time. I'd imagine that they'll do all kinds of mods, but I think only on Schilkes.

mulligan stew · Heavyweight Member Joined: 02 Jul 2003 Posts: 1846

I think I'll send my schilke in for some fins, chunks of raw brass, and some wraught-iron filigree.

BDsop96 · Regular Member Joined: 16 Dec 2003 Posts: 11

Hey all, bdev in particular. I do tuning bell conversions for $250 FLAT which includes all the parts which I personally scratch build and custom fit to each horn myself. Those guys obviously do FANTASTIC work and have set the standard for many years however I am more than happy to pick up the extra work if Ron's not doing them anymore. That's sad news by the way... there needs to be more reputable shops like his, especially with all the "snake oil" being pawned off nowadays. Another thing to keep in mind is turn around time. It's usually a few months at least on average from most any "well known" shop. I'm still fairly "unknown" so don't usually get too backed up (yet) so I can turn a tuning bell conversion around in a week once it's in my hands. I've done at least a dozen and they've all come out GREAT to rave review from their owners. Feel free to take a look at my shop online to see some examples of my work. Email me with any questions.
_________________
-Chris Cromer

Custom Trumpet Modifications, Repairs and Accessories-
www.aminortuneup.com

benlewis · Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2004 7:47 pm Post subject:

I have a horn that Chris did some work on (BTW, currently for sale on eBay) and his worksmanship seems very good. Also, I have a friend who worked at Schilke with Renold and was involved in the design and production of the tuning bell horns, especially the E3-L and G1-L. I won't post his name here, as I haven't spoken with him about it, but I'll happily forward any questions to him. He has done exceptional work for me in the past and is a true artist in brass and also a great human being, unfortunately a dissappearing breed.

drunkiq · Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2004 8:26 pm Post subject:

I called into the shop today... not sure who is doing the work there but they said he has been with Schilke for 40 years...

mulligan stew · Heavyweight Member Joined: 02 Jul 2003 Posts: 1846

so is the schilke repair shop open now?

nowave--you must post a review of yr conversion once you get it back--plus a review of the PVA!

drunkiq · Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2004 1:41 pm Post subject:

yep it is open...

BrassClass · Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2004 7:04 pm Post subject:

nowave,

You will love that horn. I have a B1L and it is a work of art. In my opinion, Schilkes are 2nd to none. Be sure and give us your impressions when you get it back. I have thought about getting a beryllium bell for my B1L but I can't decide what size to get. The standard large bell would sound great I know, a medium bell would make it a B2L and a medium large bell would make it a B5L (except for the step bore thing). Too many choices!

mulligan stew · Heavyweight Member Joined: 02 Jul 2003 Posts: 1846

Just a note on the beryllium bells: I love mine (B1Lb) but they are insanely fragile. They feel like a feather in your hand...nowave, be sure to post a detailed review once you get your horn back. I have compared horns with nowave prior to his conversion; it will be interesting to see if the differences perceived were due mainly to the tuning bell or actually the beryllium bell...it's hard to isolate all the variables.

bdev · Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2004 11:42 am Post subject:

Update on B1 conversion to B1L.....
I shipped my B1 to Schilke today for a B1L conversion. They say aprox 3-4 weeks turnaround time. I'll post when I receive it back. They quoted me a price of $325.00 which includes parts, labor & replating. I'm not sure if return shipping is included in that price.
_________________
Schilke B1L / GRe65M/e65S
Yamaha B.Shew Flugel / GRe65FD
Olds Super Trumpet (LA 1946) GRe65MX
Reynolds Emperor Trumpet (1961)
Bach Strad 37 Trumpet
Holton 25 Cornet / Bach 6
MDT Morrison Trumpet (wind controller)

drunkiq · Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2004 1:01 pm Post subject:

replating? the whole horn or what?

-marc

bdev · Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2004 1:19 pm Post subject:

Their email said "re-plate in silver so the horn will look like a new trumpet". It sounds like they will do the entire horn. I'll let you know when I hear from them. They will contact me when they receive my horn.
_________________
Schilke B1L / GRe65M/e65S
Yamaha B.Shew Flugel / GRe65FD
Olds Super Trumpet (LA 1946) GRe65MX
Reynolds Emperor Trumpet (1961)
Bach Strad 37 Trumpet
Holton 25 Cornet / Bach 6
MDT Morrison Trumpet (wind controller)

nowave · Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2004 9:08 am Post subject:

Well... I've finally got my horn back, and although I've only had one short practise on it, I'll throw some random thoughts out here.

I had sent my B1 (beryllium bell) first to Ron Pinc for a tuning-bell conversion, and to have the 1st slide hook replaced with a ring (from the S-series) -- this last for no other reason than because I look the look of the ring better. Then the horn traveled to the Brass Bow for a valve alignment.

The first thing I noticed was the quality of Ron's work. The horn is gorgeous, and all of the new parts are attached with what I'd call typical Schilke fit and finish -- meaning damn near perfect. There are barely-noticeable traces on the leadpipe side of the bell where the old braces were removed, but nothing you'd notice without looking very closely. The entire horn looks brand-new, and I noticed that a small bit of black tarnish on the leadpipe I'd never been able to remove was gone.

Ron also cleaned the whole horn ultrasonically, and all of the slides (in fact, every inch of the horn inside and out) really does look as new.

The other thing I noticed was the lack of any top valve felts -- a result of the PVA. The shims and synthetic pads are instead nestled underneath the finger buttons.

So how does it play? Much improved, I'd say. The horn had been stuffy in the low register -- now it's incredibly open and free. The response is instantaneous, and the dynamic range seems seems to have improved as well. It speaks from a whisper with no hesitation. I know that the sound is different, but I'll need more time with it to qualify exactly how.

Another thing: using the tuning bell alters the fore-aft balance of the horn and brings the bell a bit closer to your face. I like these changes as well.

Since I had a couple of things done at once, I can't really isolate cause and effect. I'll try and post some more intelligent thoughts about the sound & feel -- and maybe get a photo or two up -- once I spend some more time on it.

mulligan stew · Heavyweight Member Joined: 02 Jul 2003 Posts: 1846

you should post some pics.

Does the valve stroke feel the same? are they quiet?

nowave · Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2004 9:20 am Post subject:

Valve stroke has a bit more cushion at the bottom, and they make a different kind of sound now -- kind of a hollow "pock". They might be a touch quieter as well...

drunkiq · Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2004 11:18 am Post subject:

remember that you may not want to do all of your tuning from the bell....

push it is a bit and pull just a tad out on the main tuning slide - you should notice a difference in the air resistance of the horn, keep adjsuting untill you have it tweaked for you.

-marc