Lake City 415 Flugabone Project

muschem · Post by **muschem** » Sun Oct 29, 2023 6:36 pm

Earlier in the year I decided to pick up a flugabone. My primary use case was to have a nice, compact travel instrument to accompany me on business trips for chop maintenance. After searching around a bit, it seemed that locating an Olds O-21 or a King 1130 in good shape might be challenging.

Then, I ran across the Lake City 415 flugabone, carried by Schmitt Music. It seemed like a very reasonable price, and for my purposes, I thought it should work nicely. I had a couple of questions before I placed the order, which Keith Hilson was kind enough to answer. He and I got to chatting a bit about possibilities, which lead to a connection with a shop in the same local area as Schmitt. A few minor tweaks spiraled a bit, as is often the case with my projects. Long story short... the project is nearing completion, and I thought I'd share some of the pics and videos of the progress.

First, a plug for the shop that handled all of the modifications - Rogue Repair in St Paul, MN. Melanie Ditter has been fantastic to work with on this project, and the work looks amazing. Melanie took every request in stride, and she has put together an instrument I can't wait to play.

If you want to skip some of the details below, here's a pic post-finish:

Lacquered.JPG

And the latest video after lacquering:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BbCCkC ... sp=sharing

I had a notion to go with a brushed finish with some mirror polished accents (bell ring and inside flare), so we started with the raw brass version of the 415, to save a step in stripping a factory finish. I love that Schmitt offers this choice - it offers a lot of flexibility for customizing these.

The stock design seemed solid, but Keith mentioned that Melanie had come up with a custom trigger design on another 415 project from a different customer. I was intrigued. Here's the example pic Melanie sent from the inspiration project:

Pre-finish.jpg

I thought this would make a great addition, so I... pulled the trigger, as it were, and added it in. Here you can see the thumb trigger on the example project a bit more clearly:

CustomTuningSlideKicker.jpg

I also wanted to have the bell cut and fitted with screw rings, to reduce the size of case I'd need to carry it in for travel. Here's a look at the bell ring installed, prior to the finish work:

BellRingInstalled.jpg

And the last mod was to replace the factory water keys with Saturn keys - here's the key replacement in progress:

SaturnKey.jpg

Things are wrapping up, and I hope to have the instrument in hand and ready for some travel at the end of November (first road test!). I'll post some thoughts on how it plays when I have it.

AtomicClock · Post by **AtomicClock** » Sun Oct 29, 2023 7:49 pm

How will you carry it around? Obviously not in the original case.

muschem · Post by **muschem** » Sun Oct 29, 2023 8:27 pm

A Pelican or similar case. I need to measure it to see what size case would fit it best. The goal would be slimmer/smaller overall vs. the original case - easy to lug around and carry on flights, but still protective enough that I wouldn’t worry about checking it.

harrisonreed · Post by **harrisonreed** » Sun Oct 29, 2023 8:58 pm

Looks pretty cool! Her site is bare bones but maybe she could do the work I need on my 3B slide.

Blabberbucket · Post by **Blabberbucket** » Sun Oct 29, 2023 9:28 pm

harrisonreed wrote: ↑Sun Oct 29, 2023 8:58 pm Looks pretty cool! Her site is bare bones but maybe she could do the work I need on my 3B slide.

I highly recommend that you contact Melanie. She's an excellent technician.

RJMason · Post by **RJMason** » Mon Oct 30, 2023 3:28 am

Very cool! Consider a Gard triple trumpet case (it might fit in the double but definitely the triple). It has modular padding to fit the horn securely.

muschem · Post by **muschem** » Mon Oct 30, 2023 6:51 am

RJMason wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 3:28 am Very cool! Consider a Gard triple trumpet case (it might fit in the double but definitely the triple). It has modular padding to fit the horn securely.

Thanks! I’ll check those out.

Post by **Matt K** » Mon Oct 30, 2023 8:38 am

That's awesome! If you dont' mind my asking, how much was that lever mechanism?

I have a Kanstul marching baritone that fixes most of the qualities of the Olds flugabone I used to have, but it's super heavy. It looks like this would probably have some better playing characteristics than the Olds I used to play and that lever would probably fix one of the big issues, which was intonation with the 3rd valve!

muschem · Post by **muschem** » Mon Oct 30, 2023 9:18 am

Matt K wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 8:38 am That's awesome! If you dont' mind my asking, how much was that lever mechanism?

Haven’t seen the final invoice, but the estimate was $300 for the lever assembly. The final design puts the pivot in a different place for better mechanical advantage, and adds an adjustable thumb rest. I’ll get some pics of the finished setup once I have it.

JohnL · Post by **JohnL** » Mon Oct 30, 2023 10:42 am

Other than having the same general wrap, it seems to differ from the King or Kanstul flugabone/flugelbone in some significant aspects. Smaller bore, slightly larger bell. Maybe the goal was to make something more conical?

Most definitely an entirely different beast from the Olds/Reynolds compact marching trombone.

muschem · Post by **muschem** » Mon Oct 30, 2023 10:58 am

Yeah, it should be an interesting difference. Here's Keith Hilson playing it and discussing some of the design:

And, Keith on an Olds O-21 for comparison:

Post by **Matt K** » Mon Oct 30, 2023 11:32 am

muschem wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 9:18 am
Matt K wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 8:38 am That's awesome! If you dont' mind my asking, how much was that lever mechanism?
Haven’t seen the final invoice, but the estimate was $300 for the lever assembly. The final design puts the pivot in a different place for better mechanical advantage, and adds an adjustable thumb rest. I’ll get some pics of the finished setup once I have it.

That would be awesome. I need a flugabone project like I need a hole in my head which means I'll probably do one of these over horns I'd actually play often of course

JohnL · Post by **JohnL** » Mon Oct 30, 2023 11:58 am

When you're sorting out the case question, you should keep the concept of "secondary collision" in mind. You don't want any of the parts to be able to move inside the case. Everything needs to be either strapped down tight or stuffed into a padded niche that's actually just a little on the small side. I've not fond or the idea of reconfigurable dividers; they don't hold the instrument fast.

Looking at the specs of the Lake City 415 has also started me thinking of a modular design where the bell (i.e., everything downstream of the valve section) can be swapped out. Then you could have a smaller bell (not just a smaller flare, but an overall smaller bell - something in the King 2B range) that would put the instrument in more of the bass trumpet class.

muschem · Post by **muschem** » Mon Oct 30, 2023 12:05 pm

JohnL wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 11:58 am When you're sorting out the case question, you should keep the concept of "secondary collision" in mind.

Definitely! Good thing to call out.

JohnL wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 11:58 am Looking at the specs of the Lake City 415 has also started me thinking of a modular design where the bell (i.e., everything downstream of the valve section) can be swapped out. Then you could have a smaller bell (not just a smaller flare, but an overall smaller bell - something in the King 2B range) that would put the instrument in more of the bass trumpet class.

That's s a pretty interesting idea. I'd love to see or hear more about this if you explore it further.

JohnL · Post by **JohnL** » Mon Oct 30, 2023 12:13 pm

muschem wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 12:05 pm
JohnL wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 11:58 am Looking at the specs of the Lake City 415 has also started me thinking of a modular design where the bell (i.e., everything downstream of the valve section) can be swapped out. Then you could have a smaller bell (not just a smaller flare, but an overall smaller bell - something in the King 2B range) that would put the instrument in more of the bass trumpet class.
That's s a pretty interesting idea. I'd love to see or hear more about this if you explore it further.

Gonna have to be someone other than me. I've already got an O-21 and a B&M bass trumpet, neither of which get near enough use.

AtomicClock · Post by **AtomicClock** » Mon Oct 30, 2023 5:38 pm

How do triggers like that work? Is there an adjustment to tune the horn without pulling the trigger? Does the slide have to be loosened (or stockings added) so it slides smoothly and quickly?

JohnL · Post by **JohnL** » Mon Oct 30, 2023 7:01 pm

AtomicClock wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 5:38 pm How do triggers like that work? Is there an adjustment to tune the horn without pulling the trigger? Does the slide have to be loosened (or stockings added) so it slides smoothly and quickly?

The "kicker" slides I've seen don't have stockings. The fit isn't quite as tight as on a regular tuning slide, and you generally use a different lubricant.

Sometimes they'll have a stop rod so you can tune the "home" position. I'd certainly want that sort of setup if the kicker was on my main tuning slide.

Post by **Matt K** » Tue Oct 31, 2023 2:35 am

If it has a screw bell, I wonder if some kind of fire arm or bow case might work. The foam inside can usually be configured pretty easily to be tight yet padded

curtberg · Post by **curtberg** » Tue Oct 31, 2023 5:36 pm

Hello Mike,
Have you played the stock version of the Lake City flugabone enough to have any opinions on its intonation issues and other playing characteristics? I'm thinking of purchasing one and I'd value your knowledge on this.

Thanks,
Curt Berg
Bellevue, WA

hyperbolica · Post by **hyperbolica** » Tue Oct 31, 2023 7:14 pm

I'm also interested in how this thing plays especially with other regular trombones.

muschem · Post by **muschem** » Tue Oct 31, 2023 7:55 pm

I actually haven’t played it yet, but I’m looking forward to getting to know it once it arrives. If it is anything like my bass trumpet (and it is entirely possible that it isn’t), it should be interesting, and fairly different in a number of ways from trombone.

I’ll be happy to share thoughts on playing characteristics once I have them, but I’d also recommend calling Schmitt Music and chatting with Keith if you can. He’s spent a lot of time with these, and I found his insights and suggestions very helpful.

curtberg · Post by **curtberg** » Tue Oct 31, 2023 8:23 pm

Hi Mike,
Thanks for getting back on this. I've watched the video demos and been in contact with Keith by email several times. He was very helpful and had a used flugabone for sale. There was no return option, so I've held off. I will watch for any postings from you after your horn comes in.

Thanks,
Curt

RJMason · Post by **RJMason** » Tue Oct 31, 2023 8:45 pm

JohnL wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 11:58 am When you're sorting out the case question, you should keep the concept of "secondary collision" in mind. You don't want any of the parts to be able to move inside the case. Everything needs to be either strapped down tight or stuffed into a padded niche that's actually just a little on the small side. I've not fond or the idea of reconfigurable dividers; they don't hold the instrument fast.

Totally understand your concern but I’ve literally flown around the world four times with my Flugabone in the Gard triple case and nothing has ever happened to it. Mainly because it’s so compact I’ve never had to check it. I put my laptop, chargers, midi keyboard in there too. And a trumpet!

Anyway, these horns are especially good for travel and vacation.

From someone who has already flown domestically and internationally with a screw bell tenor in an AR case, you generally don’t really want to try your luck for too long going this route

Post by **Matt K** » Wed Nov 01, 2023 7:08 am

My travel horn is a trumpet for that reason. I can even put it in a suitcase in a pinch, but it fits in one of these, barely:

https://www.amazon.com/Pelican-1510-Ove ... 9AVE6&th=1

So if I have to check it, not great but it's definitely protected. And if it does, it fits no problem, it goes above my head!

The Greg Black / Jim Nova soprano piece works surprisingly well and is approximately the same rim size I normally play on. Takes a minute to get used to the fingerings since your brain says "this is a trombone rim!!!"

EZSlider · Post by **EZSlider** » Thu Nov 16, 2023 2:01 pm

Update? Thinking about nearly this exact build
EZ

muschem · Post by **muschem** » Thu Nov 16, 2023 2:16 pm

EZSlider wrote: ↑Thu Nov 16, 2023 2:01 pm Update? Thinking about nearly this exact build
EZ

Thanks for reminding me - I need to check in on status. Should be ready any time now.

AtomicClock · Post by **AtomicClock** » Thu Nov 16, 2023 5:15 pm

EZSlider wrote: ↑Thu Nov 16, 2023 2:01 pm Update? Thinking about nearly this exact build

Those pictures are so nice, I wouldn't be surprised if Schmitt (or Rogue) starts advertising a muschem package.

EZSlider · Post by **EZSlider** » Thu Nov 16, 2023 6:27 pm

AtomicClock wrote: ↑Thu Nov 16, 2023 5:15 pm
EZSlider wrote: ↑Thu Nov 16, 2023 2:01 pm Update? Thinking about nearly this exact build
Those pictures are so nice, I wouldn't be surprised if Schmitt (or Rogue) starts advertising a muschem package.

Here here!
Are you able to give us a ballpark price on the job?
EZ

EZSlider · Post by **EZSlider** » Sun Nov 19, 2023 6:50 pm

Anyone have any way to get in touch with. Melany? I scored a king 1130 flugabone and need to get it shipped to a tech to work on for me.
EZ

Blabberbucket · Post by **Blabberbucket** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 7:20 pm

EZSlider wrote: ↑Sun Nov 19, 2023 6:50 pm Anyone have any way to get in touch with. Melany? I scored a king 1130 flugabone and need to get it shipped to a tech to work on for me.
EZ

https://rogue-repair.com/

EZSlider · Post by **EZSlider** » Tue Nov 21, 2023 4:49 am

Blabberbucket wrote: ↑Mon Nov 20, 2023 7:20 pm
EZSlider wrote: ↑Sun Nov 19, 2023 6:50 pm Anyone have any way to get in touch with. Melany? I scored a king 1130 flugabone and need to get it shipped to a tech to work on for me.
EZ
https://rogue-repair.com/

Yeah thanks lol. I had already written her an email a text and a dm on Instagram,. Turns out she doesn't work weekends..

AtomicClock · Post by **AtomicClock** » Thu Dec 07, 2023 7:18 pm

muschem wrote: ↑Sun Oct 29, 2023 6:36 pm ... I hope to have the instrument in hand and ready for some travel at the end of November (first road test!). I'll post some thoughts on how it plays when I have it.

Any news?

muschem · Post by **muschem** » Thu Dec 07, 2023 8:12 pm

AtomicClock wrote: ↑Thu Dec 07, 2023 7:18 pm Any news?

The flare apparently picked up some dust in the lacquering process. I doubt I’d have ever noticed, but Melanie clearly has a dedication to her craft and wanted to take some time to re-shoot it.

So, I missed taking it on a maiden voyage last week, while traveling. But, my Butler JJ model traveled very well in its place. The Bonna detachable flare small tenor case is nice and small - no problem at all fitting into overhead compartments. With luck, I’ll have the flugabone for the next trip. I’m excited to see the finished product, and I’ll be sure to post pics

EZSlider · Post by **EZSlider** » Thu Dec 14, 2023 2:27 pm

On the edge of my seat!
Melanie has my King 1130 and I should be seeing it mid Feb!
Picked up https://houghtonhorns.com/products/marc ... BvEALw_wcB
One of these and one of these https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... _foam.html
For a couple options.. to any interested kinda a crazy good deal on b & h.. if you get the 935 in black with foam it's only $146
EZ

Post by **Matt K** » Thu Dec 14, 2023 5:16 pm

Please post pics with what you do with that Marcus Bonna. I was thinking about this today... I actually already have a pelican case very similar to that one though I think I'd almost prefer to see if I can somehow get mine into a backpack or something so I can use it as my "personal" item... which that MB case seems to fit the bill. There's also an MB case for two trumpets and a laptop which I'm thinking also would probably stow under a seat nicely and carry basically everything I'd want to take w/ me as a personal item.

EZSlider · Post by **EZSlider** » Thu Dec 14, 2023 6:21 pm

I well for sure put together a post on the whole setup. I was figuring I'd be able to squeeze it into the Marcus bona would probably enough room for my flute and whistles between the inside of the case and the large pocket. Hard case setting it up for a more in-depth excursion or I could carry more things in the case also. I'm sure the rolling hard case is physically larger than the original case, but a much less awkward shape anyway plus with TSA locking latches added in and also the lid panel with pockets in it it should be a pretty trick setup. Especially at the price I got it for.
EZ

AtomicClock · Post by **AtomicClock** » Thu Dec 14, 2023 10:42 pm

muschem wrote: ↑Sun Oct 29, 2023 6:36 pm My primary use case was to have a nice, compact travel instrument to accompany me on business trips for chop maintenance.

I know you don't have it yet, but I am wondering... if chop maintenance is the main purpose, could you leave the bell flare at home entirely? If the partials still line up and only the loudness was reduced, that would be ideal. Depending on how much of the bell taper is left, could it still hold a practice mute?

muschem · Post by **muschem** » Fri Dec 15, 2023 6:57 am

EZSlider wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2023 2:27 pm One of these and one of these https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... _foam.html
For a couple options.. to any interested kinda a crazy good deal on b & h.. if you get the 935 in black with foam it's only $146

I actually have a 935 case that I used as a roller carry-on for a few years. I'm pretty sure the flugabone would fit with plenty of room to spare. Good idea!

AtomicClock wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2023 10:42 pm
muschem wrote: ↑Sun Oct 29, 2023 6:36 pm My primary use case was to have a nice, compact travel instrument to accompany me on business trips for chop maintenance.
I know you don't have it yet, but I am wondering... if chop maintenance is the main purpose, could you leave the bell flare at home entirely? If the partials still line up and only the loudness was reduced, that would be ideal. Depending on how much of the bell taper is left, could it still hold a practice mute?

I think this would probably work ok. In my detachable flare trombones, most mutes still fit fine with the flare off - probably the same for the flugabone. I'll try it and see.

curtberg · Post by **curtberg** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 2:49 pm

Hi Mike,
Some time ago I inquired as to whether you'd played any version the Lake City flugabone that you had on order. Have you received it yet, and if so, what are your thoughts on intonation issues and other playing characteristics? Hope it's working out for you!

Best,
Curt Berg

muschem · Post by **muschem** » Fri Jan 19, 2024 4:45 pm

Update:

There were some delays around the holidays (completely understandable), but it looks like the flugabone project is now complete! I'll be happy to share thoughts after it makes its way down to me in Texas, but for now I'll let the images do the talking

The trigger paddle was hand forged from stainless steel by Melanie Ditter for this project.

IMG_20240119_142029735.jpg

IMG_20240119_141935536.jpg

IMG_20240119_141911017.jpg

IMG_20240119_141810690.jpg

IMG_20240119_141735318.jpg

IMG_20240119_141710918.jpg

Post by **Matt K** » Fri Jan 19, 2024 5:14 pm

Nicest flugabone in the world!!

hyperbolica · Post by **hyperbolica** » Fri Jan 19, 2024 6:25 pm

Matt K wrote: ↑Fri Jan 19, 2024 5:14 pm Nicest flugabone in the world!!

Maybe you haven't seen what Sweeney Brass does.
https://www.sweeneybrass.com/

Mirff1110 · Post by **Mirff1110** » Tue Jan 30, 2024 3:05 pm

I can’t see all of the pictures. It’s says I don’t have permissions to view all the files. I really want to modify my olds flugabone and I would like to see what you did with yours

Post by **BGuttman** » Tue Jan 30, 2024 4:09 pm

Mirff1110 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 30, 2024 3:05 pm I can’t see all of the pictures. It’s says I don’t have permissions to view all the files. I really want to modify my olds flugabone and I would like to see what you did with yours

You need 3 approved posts to be able to see pictures, send and receive Personal Messages, and see e-mails. Sorry, but this was necessary because of a profusion of 'bots that would get registered and then flood the board with ads for male enhancement pills, bogus handbags, and Russian real estate. Find a couple of discussions to which you can contribute and we'll approve any reasonable comment.

Mirff1110 · Post by **Mirff1110** » Sat Feb 03, 2024 2:23 pm

BGuttman wrote: ↑Tue Jan 30, 2024 4:09 pm
Mirff1110 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 30, 2024 3:05 pm I can’t see all of the pictures. It’s says I don’t have permissions to view all the files. I really want to modify my olds flugabone and I would like to see what you did with yours
You need 3 approved posts to be able to see pictures, send and receive Personal Messages, and see e-mails. Sorry, but this was necessary because of a profusion of 'bots that would get registered and then flood the board with ads for male enhancement pills, bogus handbags, and Russian real estate. Find a couple of discussions to which you can contribute and we'll approve any reasonable comment.

Thank you for that info! That’s totally understandable, we are here to talk instruments and music so the ads would definitely be annoying and inappropriate for this forum.

JLivi · Post by **JLivi** » Sat Feb 03, 2024 3:51 pm

What did you end up doing for a case?

muschem · Post by **muschem** » Sat Feb 03, 2024 4:37 pm

JLivi wrote: ↑Sat Feb 03, 2024 3:51 pm What did you end up doing for a case?

The case it comes with isn't bad, actually. Here's a few comparison pics:

Left to right: Marcus Bonna tenor cut bell case -> Lake City 415 flugabone case -> Shires (MB) alto case

Cases1.jpg

Cases2.jpg

Here it is compared to the Nanuk 935 I was thinking about using:

Cases3.jpg

Cases4.jpg

The Lake City case is only slightly larger than the Nanuk 935, which I've used as a carry-on roller bag for travel many times. The Nanuk will easily fit in most overhead bins on domestic flights in the US, so I'd expect the same for the Lake City case. I'm less sure about how the Lake City case would hold up if it had to be gate checked. The Nanuk, I'd check all day long without any worries, so long as you do a good job with a foam cutout inside.

It is worth noting that the flugabone with flare attached would not fit inside the 935. I think it would be ok in layers with the flare detached and laid flat, but I haven't tried that yet. My plan for travel is to take the flugabone without the flare and use a Best Brass tenor practice mute, which fits great into the flare-less bell stem. So, a 935 would work for that purpose. A Pelican Air 1485 (https://www.pelican.com/us/en/product/cases/air/1485) is even smaller than the Nanuk 935, but by my measurements, the flugabone without flare should fit in that as well, though with less room to spare in some dimensions. The Pelican is almost half the weight of the Nanuk, but you lose the wheels, so it might be less convenient to travel with if you have to lug it around.

muschem · Post by **muschem** » Sat Feb 03, 2024 5:04 pm

curtberg wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 2:49 pm Some time ago I inquired as to whether you'd played any version the Lake City flugabone that you had on order. Have you received it yet, and if so, what are your thoughts on intonation issues and other playing characteristics?

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you, Curt. I actually hadn't played one of these before the mods were complete. It went straight from Schmitt Music to the tech, so I couldn't answer your question until the project was finished. There were some delays in wrapping things up, but I have it now.

So... funny thing about tuning... I didn't realize this, because I don't spend a whole lot of time on valved brass, but that awesome tuning slide kicker mod actually has a fixed linkage connected to what would otherwise have been the main tuning slide. The trigger works like a dream - buttery smooth and fast. But, there isn't a way (yet) to set an extended stop point on it. So by default, it returns to a fully closed position after use. On a slide trombone, that wouldn't be a problem... just play off the bumpers. On a valved instrument, well... I guess you could lip everything down if you're sharp fully open (I am, at least with the mouthpieces I've tried so far), but that would be a pain.

I'm looking into fixes for that now, and Melanie has been great to work with yet again. A couple of options we've discussed are:

Replace the fixed linkage rod with an adjustable length rod, using a turnbuckle in the middle to set the starting position for the tuning slide.
Install a secondary "main" tuning slide on the other branch where none currently exists.

The problems to work around on the first option are that the rod extension would push both directions with the current design. Adjusting the turnbuckle to lengthen the rod would push the tuning slide out, but it would also push the linkage arm on the opposite side out as well, causing the trigger assembly to rotate and thus the thumb paddle to move into a less ergonomic position. There are ways to prevent that unwanted movement. The other issue is that the free and easy movement of the slide is somewhat sensitive to alignment. As the slide legs move further out from the fully closed position, any small alignment issues would cause problems with on-the-fly tuning adjustments.

For the second option, the second branch has a pretty short leg going into the valve casing. I'm not sure that it would allow for conversion to an adjustable tuning slide of any appreciable length without modification. But, going this route would bypass the need for any workarounds on the trigger assembly.

In short - I'm still working through this, but I can share the solution once we arrive at one. For my intended purposes - maintaining chops while traveling - the lack of an adjustable main tuning slide isn't a huge issue. The horn is in tune with itself, even if it isn't right on A=440, and I don't have perfect pitch, so my ears won't know the difference just playing muted in a hotel room. But, for playing this with anyone else, you'd want a way to match tuning.

JohnL · Post by **JohnL** » Sat Feb 03, 2024 6:22 pm

There are clamp-on slide stops for French horns.

slide_lock.jpeg

Not sure if it would fit your horn, though the Lake City does have a pretty small bore, so it just might.

You can get 'em from Ken Pope.
https://poperepair.com/alexander-slide-locks/
https://poperepair.com/duerk-slide-locks/

Quick and dirty solution is some trumpet lyre sockets and a hunk of square rod (a trombone lyre makes a good donor).
Solder a socket on either side of the tuning slide. Cut/grind a the flange off of a third socket and put it on the rod between the other two sockets; that's your movable stop.

muschem · Post by **muschem** » Sat Feb 03, 2024 6:31 pm

JohnL wrote: ↑Sat Feb 03, 2024 6:22 pm There are clamp-on slide stops for French horns.

This is a good idea, and Melanie suggested this as well as a quick and easy fix. The problem I see is that to be "in tune" fully open I need to move the slide out to near the end of it's current travel range. If I fixed it there using a stop without also making the linkage rod adjustable, I would lose the utility of the trigger. I think this idea works fine if I can also adjust the length of the linkage rod so that the trigger remains useful.