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Brace & Un-Braced Leadpipes/Tuning Slides



 
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klipschfan4life
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 12:55 pm    Post subject: Brace & Un-Braced Leadpipes/Tuning Slides Reply with quote

What are the Pros and Cons with Braced leadpipes to the horn body? (Like standard Bach Strad's) What about Un-braced Leadpipes?
What are the sound/feeling differences between the two? Which do you prefer?

What are the Pros and Cons with Braced and Un-Braced Tuning Slides?
Differences in sound/Feeling? Again, which do you prefer?

Which combination of braces (Leadpipe-Tuning Slide) do you think looks the best on a horn?
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Fleebat
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 1:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Leadpipe braces make a lot of difference, in my experience. Way back in college ('74), I followed an older player's recommendation to remove the forward bell-to-leadpipe brace on my C Strad. Positive effect on the response & "ring" of the horn.

I have an extra 25 leadpipe that I warm up with these days. When I put the tuning slide into it & hold everything in place, playing with a completely un-mounted/un-braced leadpipe, the sound is huge, the response in instant, flexibility is greatly enhanced. The first time I noticed this, several years ago on another Strad, I ran to a repair guy & had him switch out the leadpipes, thinking the extra one was magical in some way. Result: the now-mounted, "magical" leadpipe played just like the old one, which, now held in place, was magical. Hmmmph.

What this has suggested to me is that braces have a profound effect. My current main Strad is a good one. Still, in the near future, I plan to send it to Charlie Melk & have him "de-stress" it by re-soldering some parts, and possibly altering or removing various braces. Strads have the double vertical braces on the leadpipe & tuning slide. There was a thread not long ago about the effect of removing one or both of those.

Note that many horns - Lawler C7, Benge, Committee, etc. - have a single tuning-slide brace or none at all. Most find these horns are somewhat more "lively" and flexible, and most believe the lighter bracing is a factor.

PS; I'm one of those who couldn't care less which looks "better." I'd mount a potted plant to the thing if you could prove to me that it enhanced my ability to make music with it.

Rusty Russell
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Rich G
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fleebat wrote:
Leadpipe braces make a lot of difference, in my experience. Way back in college ('74), I followed an older player's recommendation to remove the forward bell-to-leadpipe brace on my C Strad. Positive effect on the response & "ring" of the horn.

I have an extra 25 leadpipe that I warm up with these days. When I put the tuning slide into it & hold everything in place, playing with a completely un-mounted/un-braced leadpipe, the sound is huge, the response in instant, flexibility is greatly enhanced. The first time I noticed this, several years ago on another Strad, I ran to a repair guy & had him switch out the leadpipes, thinking the extra one was magical in some way. Result: the now-mounted, "magical" leadpipe played just like the old one, which, now held in place, was magical. Hmmmph.

What this has suggested to me is that braces have a profound effect. My current main Strad is a good one. Still, in the near future, I plan to send it to Charlie Melk & have him "de-stress" it by re-soldering some parts, and possibly altering or removing various braces. Strads have the double vertical braces on the leadpipe & tuning slide. There was a thread not long ago about the effect of removing one or both of those.

Note that many horns - Lawler C7, Benge, Committee, etc. - have a single tuning-slide brace or none at all. Most find these horns are somewhat more "lively" and flexible, and most believe the lighter bracing is a factor.

PS; I'm one of those who couldn't care less which looks "better." I'd mount a potted plant to the thing if you could prove to me that it enhanced my ability to make music with it.

Rusty Russell


Another excellent post, Rusty.

My two cents:

I think leadpipe bracing (or lack thereof) is critical to how a horn resonates. I had some experiences in that regard.

I had two horns without a brace at leadpipe to bell flare end of the horn. One was a relatively non-descript DEG "signature 2000". Because it was a tuning bell model, there was no brace at the flare end of the bell. It was probably the most beautifully resonant and live horn I ever owned, and the valves were great. If I kept the horn I think I would have looked for a more open leadpipe, because it played a bit too tight, even when I experimented witrh Reeves sleeves to adjust the gap.

The other was a Holton Dave Stahl model with adjustable gap receiver. It also had no brace at the bell flare to leadpipe end of the horn. Not a bad horn. As with the DEG, it was very resonant and really carried, but the valves were not to my liking, so I moved that one along.

Lastly, I had a ML bore Strad 72* lightweight with #25 leadpipe that I bought off eBay for $725. What a gorgeous sounding horn. It had rings in place of the finger hooks, and no waterkeys (ala Faddis). It also had one other thing: a leadpipe that had considerable red rot.

I was tossed between replacing the leadpipe with another stock #25 leadpipe or going a bit more avant garde. I contacted Rich Ita about a Pilczuk leadpipe for the horn. He said he had several different leadpipes for the lightweight Strad. He sent me 6 leadpipes to play with.

They all sounded great when I stuck then along side my red rot leadpipe and put the tuning slide in. I recorded myself with each leadpipe, listened to the recordings, and took extensive notes on what I heard. I finally made up my mind, thought I had the magic leadpipe, and sent the other 5 Pilczuk pipes back.

I brought the horn to my repair guy. He told me "go out and have lunch, I'll have it ready for you when you come back".

Sure enough, it was ready, and with his usual beautiful workmanship. I got home, put the mouthpiece in, and... well... it was nice... but where was the "magic"??? Intonation was great, slotting was great... upper register was super... but I kept listening for that "shimmer"... where'd it go???

I looked down in my case and saw the original red rot Strad leadpipe. Hmmm... I set it alongside the new leadpipe, put the tuning slide in and.. WOW!!!!!!!!! Everything I wanted - and more. The sound was so alive and filled with energy, and all I had to do was breathe softly into the horn and the sound exploded from the bell!

I've often wondered what removing the brace from the valve cluster to the bell might do. And, though I've never done it, I also thought about removing that bell to leadpipe brace on other horns I've had.

I've wondered if repositioning the braces at the right nodal points could allow the horn to display that "magic".
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maeissin
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 3:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rich G wrote:
I've wondered if repositioning the braces at the right nodal points could allow the horn to display that "magic".


Wasn't someone -- I believe in Hong Kong -- experimenting with just this concept?
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Fleebat
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 3:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If I'm not mistaken, most serious horn makers have believed that the design & location of their braces is a major part of the overall horn design, and most have spent lots of hours & much trial and error experimenting. I know that some think locating per the resonant nodes of the tubing is the deal, others follow different theories. Some have clearly gone for style over substance, but every builder I've ever talked to suggested their bracing was a unique and substantially beneficial element.

Bob Malone carefully re-located braces on many of his "tweaks" before signing on with Yamaha. Roy Lawler has what he believes is a "tensionless" or stress-free brace design, and he places them differently from most builders. I've heard that braces were a subject of much discussion among those who contributed to the design of the original Martin Committee (V. Bach, R. Schilke, et al), and that this discussion focused on differences in sound. Note the absence of tuning-slide/leadpipe braces on Schilke's subsequent designs.

RR
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klipschfan4life
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 4:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks alot for the posts guys!

What do you think, in your opinion, would be the best thing to take off for the better resonance and "Sizzzzle?" I wouldn't want to take anything off that would in the future allow something to get damaged on the horn. Like removing one or two of the bell braces and the bell pop off or bend!

Would removing the brace from the far end of the leadpipe to the end of the bell make a big difference in sound, but still allow the horn to be "safe?"

Also, you might have answered this already, would not having braces on the tuning slide and the end of the leadpipe to the lower led of the horn body be the best choice? If it really makes a difference in sound, a good difference n sound, then would this be a good choice?
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Dave Mickley
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 7:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A bunch of years ago I took an old used Bach 37ml to a friend of mine who is a fantastic repair tech [2nd chair] He took off the bell braces and the bell actually sprang away from the valve section [can you say stress]. he then looened the the bell at the ferrel and repositioned the bell and re bent the braces a little so that they fit and put every thing back together with no stress. that horn sang - - in fact is was to raucos to use for normal situations [would have been perfect for a rock band setting] and I put it up for sale. some high school kid bought it and loved how he over powered every body with ease. and yes he also removed the brace between the leader pipe and 3rd valve tube. if you played the horn before and after you would not believe it was the same horn. I believe stress in horn has a major influence on the way a horn plays and responds. Dave
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Joyfulnoise
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 9:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The discussion about bracing is interesting. I have 2 Schilke horns, an S32 and a B1L. I like them both but there are clearly differences in the sound, as well there should be including the bracing. I bought the B1L last, and after I decided on the B1 I then opted for the L version for a couple reasons. The one reason was the possibility of bell options, but the other was the sound. Even though the regular B1 and B1L have much the same character, which is different from the S32, I think the "L" version sings a bit more when pushed. I think the lack of bracing contributes to this. The "L" bell attaches at the valve block and slides onto the 1st valve exit tube, but there are no other braces which leaves the bell free. The first time I took the bell off and played I was suprised how little trumpet sound there was (the same thing as pulling the 1st valve slide and playing with 1st valve down) which really emphasized to me how much the bell (bracing and all) contributes to the sound.

enjoy the music
Mark
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Robert Rowe
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 4:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Several "similar" horns I have can be considered here:

a) two pre-WWII Martin Handcraft Committees (med-bore)
b) two Martin Fluegelhorns (the ones with the weird-wrap)

One Handcraft Committee came into my hands without the forward leaderpipe to bell brace. The other Handcraft has the original. As I began to "fret" about the missing brace, I was still playing it regularly. It seemed very much "alive". I shipped it to a regular-gigging Jazz pro-player. He went "nuts" over the horn ... and he has one of the finest vintage Committees I've ever played (and I've had about 20).

The other Handcraft, with the brace, is a great horn; but the brace-less one is extraordinary.

One of the Martin Fluegels has an unsoldered valve-casing-to-bell brace, along with a missing forward mouthpipe to bell brace. I was going to get around to doing some work on it, but it never seemed to be "deficient" in any way, sound-wise. One day, I played it side-by-side ("A / B'd" it) with the Fluegel that has braces all intact. Guess what? The first horn -- with unsoldered brace, and one missing brace -- carries a more harmonically complex series of overtones, with a slightly "ringy"-tone.

Unrelated to the above pairs of horns, is another horn I'll mention here. It is an early 1980s Courtois Phantom (has graphite-colored body and bell, with nickel and brass slides, and a brass mouthpipe ).
The mouthpipe is detachable, via threaded-ferrules at the two braces (to the bell-section) . With one, or the other, brace unscrewed -- interesting tonal and projection differences are evident, along with varied overtones. The horn slots much more solidly, with the braces firmly secured.

Yr Hmbl n Fthfl Srvnt,
Robt
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klipschfan4life
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 5:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Robert Rowe wrote:
Several "similar" horns I have can be considered here:

a) two pre-WWII Martin Handcraft Committees (med-bore)
b) two Martin Fluegelhorns (the ones with the weird-wrap)

One Handcraft Committee came into my hands without the forward leaderpipe to bell brace. The other Handcraft has the original. As I began to "fret" about the missing brace, I was still playing it regularly. It seemed very much "alive". I shipped it to a regular-gigging Jazz pro-player. He went "nuts" over the horn ... and he has one of the finest vintage Committees I've ever played (and I've had about 20).

The other Handcraft, with the brace, is a great horn; but the brace-less one is extraordinary.

One of the Martin Fluegels has an unsoldered valve-casing-to-bell brace, along with a missing forward mouthpipe to bell brace. I was going to get around to doing some work on it, but it never seemed to be "deficient" in any way, sound-wise. One day, I played it side-by-side ("A / B'd" it) with the Fluegel that has braces all intact. Guess what? The first horn -- with unsoldered brace, and one missing brace -- carries a more harmonically complex series of overtones, with a slightly "ringy"-tone.

Unrelated to the above pairs of horns, is another horn I'll mention here. It is an early 1980s Courtois Phantom (has graphite-colored body and bell, with nickel and brass slides, and a brass mouthpipe ).
The mouthpipe is detachable, via threaded-ferrules at the two braces (to the bell-section) . With one, or the other, brace unscrewed -- interesting tonal and projection differences are evident, along with varied overtones. The horn slots much more solidly, with the braces firmly secured.

Yr Hmbl n Fthfl Srvnt,
Robt
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Interesting comparisons.......So, would having a brace or two removed make the horn more freeblowing and harder to slot? Would having the braced intact and secured make the horn more stiff and slot better?
(I think you answered that somewhat)
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klipschfan4life
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 5:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rich G wrote:
Fleebat wrote:
Leadpipe braces make a lot of difference, in my experience. Way back in college ('74), I followed an older player's recommendation to remove the forward bell-to-leadpipe brace on my C Strad. Positive effect on the response & "ring" of the horn.

I have an extra 25 leadpipe that I warm up with these days. When I put the tuning slide into it & hold everything in place, playing with a completely un-mounted/un-braced leadpipe, the sound is huge, the response in instant, flexibility is greatly enhanced. The first time I noticed this, several years ago on another Strad, I ran to a repair guy & had him switch out the leadpipes, thinking the extra one was magical in some way. Result: the now-mounted, "magical" leadpipe played just like the old one, which, now held in place, was magical. Hmmmph.

What this has suggested to me is that braces have a profound effect. My current main Strad is a good one. Still, in the near future, I plan to send it to Charlie Melk & have him "de-stress" it by re-soldering some parts, and possibly altering or removing various braces. Strads have the double vertical braces on the leadpipe & tuning slide. There was a thread not long ago about the effect of removing one or both of those.

Note that many horns - Lawler C7, Benge, Committee, etc. - have a single tuning-slide brace or none at all. Most find these horns are somewhat more "lively" and flexible, and most believe the lighter bracing is a factor.

PS; I'm one of those who couldn't care less which looks "better." I'd mount a potted plant to the thing if you could prove to me that it enhanced my ability to make music with it.

Rusty Russell


Another excellent post, Rusty.

My two cents:

I think leadpipe bracing (or lack thereof) is critical to how a horn resonates. I had some experiences in that regard.

I had two horns without a brace at leadpipe to bell flare end of the horn. One was a relatively non-descript DEG "signature 2000". Because it was a tuning bell model, there was no brace at the flare end of the bell. It was probably the most beautifully resonant and live horn I ever owned, and the valves were great. If I kept the horn I think I would have looked for a more open leadpipe, because it played a bit too tight, even when I experimented witrh Reeves sleeves to adjust the gap.

The other was a Holton Dave Stahl model with adjustable gap receiver. It also had no brace at the bell flare to leadpipe end of the horn. Not a bad horn. As with the DEG, it was very resonant and really carried, but the valves were not to my liking, so I moved that one along.

Lastly, I had a ML bore Strad 72* lightweight with #25 leadpipe that I bought off eBay for $725. What a gorgeous sounding horn. It had rings in place of the finger hooks, and no waterkeys (ala Faddis). It also had one other thing: a leadpipe that had considerable red rot.

I was tossed between replacing the leadpipe with another stock #25 leadpipe or going a bit more avant garde. I contacted Rich Ita about a Pilczuk leadpipe for the horn. He said he had several different leadpipes for the lightweight Strad. He sent me 6 leadpipes to play with.

They all sounded great when I stuck then along side my red rot leadpipe and put the tuning slide in. I recorded myself with each leadpipe, listened to the recordings, and took extensive notes on what I heard. I finally made up my mind, thought I had the magic leadpipe, and sent the other 5 Pilczuk pipes back.

I brought the horn to my repair guy. He told me "go out and have lunch, I'll have it ready for you when you come back".

Sure enough, it was ready, and with his usual beautiful workmanship. I got home, put the mouthpiece in, and... well... it was nice... but where was the "magic"??? Intonation was great, slotting was great... upper register was super... but I kept listening for that "shimmer"... where'd it go???

I looked down in my case and saw the original red rot Strad leadpipe. Hmmm... I set it alongside the new leadpipe, put the tuning slide in and.. WOW!!!!!!!!! Everything I wanted - and more. The sound was so alive and filled with energy, and all I had to do was breathe softly into the horn and the sound exploded from the bell!

I've often wondered what removing the brace from the valve cluster to the bell might do. And, though I've never done it, I also thought about removing that bell to leadpipe brace on other horns I've had.

I've wondered if repositioning the braces at the right nodal points could allow the horn to display that "magic".


That's funny how it turned out. I bet that made you wish you didn't solder the new leadpipe on. You could always just tape the leadpipe onto the valve block and bell. Duck Tape sould do the trick.
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Robert Rowe
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 6:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The first question -- no discernable difference in the "blow", and slots are not as secure, with braces missing or unattached.

I might add, that my "style-of-play" is amenable to "loose" or "slippery" slots. I do a lot of "lip slurs" and legato lines. I am a solo-horn player in small combos; no concern about "blending"-issues.

Second question -- braces intact and secured seem to improve slotting; not sure about horn feeling "stiff" (?), but I generally could still feel the resonant vibrations through the valve-cluster.

Yr Fthfl Srvnt,
Robt
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tommy t.
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 6:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Re the question of tuning slide bracing.

I play a Bb Wild Thing with a #1 tuning slide and a J1 tuning slide. Both slides were provided by Flip Oakes, the horn's designer and tweaker. The #1 has a single brace, the J1 has no brace.

I had owned the WT several years before the J1 became available. Upon receipt of the J1 I used it exclusively for one week of practice and rehearsals. I went back to the #1 for one week of practice and rehearsals and have used the J1 exclusively since.

This was not a double blind comparison. In fact I liked the appearance of the horn better with the J1 and I had just spent the purchase price to acquire the J1. But, I have spent as much on a mouthpiece and sold it on eBay within a week of receiving it and taking all things into account, including my subconscious reactions, I chose the tuning slide that worked best for me on the basis of the following percieved differences:

The J1 (no brace) gave me a full sound for three additional half steps at the top of my range. In my case, the improved notes were G#, A and Bb starting four leger lines above the staff. Neither my highest recognizable note, the D above those, nor my highest squeek were changed. I noticed no change in or below the staff and perhaps a bit better slotting from G at the top of the staff on up, getting more improved as I went higher.

As a trade off, I could feel more resistance from C two lines up on up. Most significantly, I felt considerably more tired at the end of a long rehearsal with concert band (I had two each week) using the J1 instead of the #1. I played first cornet/trumpet parts in both bands and the two weeks were of comparable difficulty. Typicall good high school or moderate college band pieces were the fare -- no big band leads or anything like that. After I decided to use the J1 in spite of the tiredness issue it seemed to go away. I believe it may have just been an question of adapting to the slight increase in resistance.

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klipschfan4life
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 6:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

tommy t. wrote:
Re the question of tuning slide bracing.

I play a Bb Wild Thing with a #1 tuning slide and a J1 tuning slide. Both slides were provided by Flip Oakes, the horn's designer and tweaker. The #1 has a single brace, the J1 has no brace.

I had owned the WT several years before the J1 became available. Upon receipt of the J1 I used it exclusively for one week of practice and rehearsals. I went back to the #1 for one week of practice and rehearsals and have used the J1 exclusively since.

This was not a double blind comparison. In fact I liked the appearance of the horn better with the J1 and I had just spent the purchase price to acquire the J1. But, I have spent as much on a mouthpiece and sold it on eBay within a week of receiving it and taking all things into account, including my subconscious reactions, I chose the tuning slide that worked best for me on the basis of the following percieved differences:

The J1 (no brace) gave me a full sound for three additional half steps at the top of my range. In my case, the improved notes were G#, A and Bb starting four leger lines above the staff. Neither my highest recognizable note, the D above those, nor my highest squeek were changed. I noticed no change in or below the staff and perhaps a bit better slotting from G at the top of the staff on up, getting more improved as I went higher.

As a trade off, I could feel more resistance from C two lines up on up. Most significantly, I felt considerably more tired at the end of a long rehearsal with concert band (I had two each week) using the J1 instead of the #1. I played first cornet/trumpet parts in both bands and the two weeks were of comparable difficulty. Typicall good high school or moderate college band pieces were the fare -- no big band leads or anything like that. After I decided to use the J1 in spite of the tiredness issue it seemed to go away. I believe it may have just been an question of adapting to the slight increase in resistance.

Tommy T.


Okie Dokie. That's what I keep hearing about the unbraced tuning slides. When I get the trial slides from M/K I will probably get the tuning slide that I like unbraced.
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klipschfan4life
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 7:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think the safest braces to take off are the two at the 2nd valve. Both the leadpipe brace to 2nd valve and bell brace to 2nd valve. Would removing these two braces make the horn sing more and project more like it would when removing other braces? Do you think this is a safe (no future damage to the horn) and good thing to get removed? I don't want to mess with the Z braces because I think they are vital to the safety of the horn. But, the midle braces, the 2nd valve braces, don't really seem needed. So, I think I might take them off. What do you think?
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Rich G
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 7:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

klipschfan4life wrote:
I think the safest braces to take off are the two at the 2nd valve. Both the leadpipe brace to 2nd valve and bell brace to 2nd valve. Would removing these two braces make the horn sing more and project more like it would when removing other braces? Do you think this is a safe (no future damage to the horn) and good thing to get removed? I don't want to mess with the Z braces because I think they are vital to the safety of the horn. But, the midle braces, the 2nd valve braces, don't really seem needed. So, I think I might take them off. What do you think?


Tuning bell trumpets don't have that last "Z" brace at the bell flare end of the horn. I never had a problem regarding safety as long as I didn't try to use it as a hammer.
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ALLCHOPS
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 7:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The first link illustrates some 'U' shaped bracing on The Stage 1 California that I first had about 2 years ago.

http://a898.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/61/m_01d05418667e6c13b15b6b90646adf81.jpg


This next link illustrates the same model horn without those braces... The first rendition only had 1 brace from the 2nd valve to the lead pipe and 1 from the 2nd valve to the bell. Yes it was a bit unstable. We ended up putting 2 bell braces from the 1st and 3rd valves to the lead pipe and just 1 from the 2nd valve to the bell. We now call this The Stage 1 California Light. This absolutely set the horn free so to speak while maintaining excellent slotting and personally for me better intonation...


http://a75.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/49/m_d32c50d0ee305980344ae8821a023de2.jpg
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:00 pm    Post subject: Re: Brace & Un-Braced Leadpipes/Tuning Slides Reply with quote

klipschfan4life wrote:
What are the Pros and Cons with Braced leadpipes to the horn body? (Like standard Bach Strad's) What about Un-braced Leadpipes?
What are the sound/feeling differences between the two? Which do you prefer?

What are the Pros and Cons with Braced and Un-Braced Tuning Slides?
Differences in sound/Feeling? Again, which do you prefer?

Which combination of braces (Leadpipe-Tuning Slide) do you think looks the best on a horn?


Hello klips,
You have received quite an array of information and continue to ask a plethora of questions. I would suggest you try a progressive, well thought-out plan and do some actual experimenting to find what works best for you.

For example;
step 1 - remove the brace from you std. main tuning slide. Play it for a while (a week or two) and make notes of what you find out.
step 2 - remove the brace from the leadpipe to the 3rd valve tube. Play if for a while and make notes.
step 3 - find a patient tech. and have him remove the brace from leadpipe to bell flare (farthest away from mpc). Play it, then have the tech install that brace in a different place (move it closer to the mpc). You might find an adjustable sound post for this phase of the experiment. Once you find something you like, leave it like that and again play it for a while and take notes.
from there, you can continue the process with any other combination of options.

Now, if you have read this far, I can tell you of two experiences I had.

Years ago I had a Strad ML 180/37. I did not like it, too stuffy. I bought a rounded (braced) tuning slide. That seemed to help a little. I next ordered a Louisville leadpipe. I think it was a number 20, but do not recall for certain. It was great when experimenting with "unmounted". After the tech removed the original and installed the new, it was less than great, but it was an improvement over the stock leadpipe. I eventually sold it and bought a Wild Thing.

With the WT, I used the #2 braced slide for several years. From time to time I would throw in the #1, but found I had problems with pitch. Probably due to "loose" slotting, or perhaps I was just not supporting the tone with enough air? Anyway, on a whim one day, I decided to remove the brace from the #1 (that would make it a J1). I figured since I never used it, what was the risk? I fell in love with the unbraced #1. After only a day or two of A/B tests between the braced #2 and unbraced #1, I never played the #2 again. When I bought a new WT just a few weeks ago, I got the J1 and #2 slides. I am loving the WT and doubt I will ever use the #2. The J1 just seems to work for me.

Sorry for the long post, but maybe there's something in there of use to you.
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Larry Woods
LDWoods
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klipschfan4life
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Joined: 15 Jun 2006
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Location: Mandeville, Louisiana

PostPosted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:03 am    Post subject: Re: Brace & Un-Braced Leadpipes/Tuning Slides Reply with quote

ldwoods,

If I were to experiment with brace placement and unbracing, then I would have unsoldered aprts on my horn leaving a raw brass/solder spot. I won't mess with unbracing anything until I get the trial slides and leadpipe from m/K. That way I can ry the new leadpipe when it is unsoldered and if I like it I will pay attention to the changes after soldered on. Then, which ever slide I like, I will experiment with it braced and unbraced. I will report back in a couple of weeks when I get the the trial slides in and I will share my my thoughts on what I found worked best and then experiment with the braces.

I will also talk to my repair man, which is an excellant truimpet player, and see what he thinks about brace placemenr and removing braces. He might have done some unbracing on some of his horns. I don't know, but I will see what he thinks.

Thanks again for all of the posts and sharing you stories and experiences.
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