School me on Schilke Eb bell possibilities.

[kurth83]

I had a player I respect tell me the main appeal of the Schilke D/Eb is the ability to change bells. I read here of ppl who put C bells on it to make it a better fit in an orchestra.

I don't fully understand the ins and outs of this.

Can I just order a C bell from Schilke and stick it on and it still works as a D? Or is there more to it than that. And what bells have worked for ppl and for what purpose?

I admit I was originally thinking of the E2D, because of the larger bore and therefore hopefully fuller sound. But it has a fixed bell so may not really be the best option.

[Tpt_Guy]

Depends on what you plan to do. A lot of players will put Bach C bells (229 seems to be popular) on an E3L to give it a fuller, more orchestral sound, but because Bach bells are bent with a shorter bell tail, fitting one necessitates shortening the tube off the 1st valve casing. If you're willing to do that, it's a great option. Wynton used an E3L with a Bach 229 bell for his London Concert recording of the Haydn Concerto, and I believe he also used it or another Bach C bell for his debut recording of the Haydn & Hummel back in the 80s.

If you don't want to go that route, you can order bells from Schilke in various tapers (and materials) fitted properly to your horn. They'll probably ask that you send the horn to them so they can ensure correct fitment and operation.

You could also experiment with mouthpieces. I find that my own E3L is very responsive to mouthpiece selection, and I was lucky enough to happen upon a combination that enables me to produce a sound closer to an orchestral C trumpet even with the stock #4 bell.
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-Tom Hall-

"A good teacher protects his pupils from his own influence."
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[Andy Del]

You can get Schilke #3 or 2 bells fitted to a E3L (or 4 valve one), just ask Schilke. I had an E3L with an additional #2 bell. Beautiful tone, awful intonation. Later I popped a Bach 239 bell on for the D side, which worked a treat. Always suspected a smaller Bach C bell was the way to go for the Eb side…

Cheers

Andy
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so many horns, so few good notes...