Lake City 415 Flugabone Project

[curtberg]

Hi Mike,
Thanks for the detailed reply. Your horn's a beauty and when I looked at the kicker, I wondered how you'd tune the open horn. I recently got a used King flugabone and it's a mile sharp on a couple notes; I'm going to have to find a solution and it will probably be similar to yours but with an option for getting the pitch to A 440. I found this online and it might be of use to you: https://www.jontalkstrumpet.com/pitchfinders

I'm going to see a Seattle repair guy who has installed many kickers on trumpets, etc. and we'll see what he comes up with. Good luck with the horn and I'll be curious as to how you deal with the tuning issue.

Best,
Curt

[Jeep80915]

I love this thread. I just picked up an unlacquered Lake City Flugabone and am having it dropped off to Melanie for some of this goodness. Are you still loving yours?
Andy

[Richard3rd]

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.

I've got a King flugabone and every step of the way on this project I was scratching my head. This was never going to work without a method for setting the tuning. I also wondered why a tuning slide trigger was needed on the horn. I have a third valve ring on my horn and that is sufficient for tuning the usual sharp notes fingered 13 and 123.

I will say that my York cornet has a tuning slide trigger and it works great. There is a rod with a thumb screw to adjust and fix the tuning that the lever attaches to. Great system.

[hyperbolica]

...I've got a King flugabone and every step of the way on this project I was scratching my head. This was never going to work without a method for setting the tuning. ...

I think all valved instruments should have a "tune any note" trigger. But the adjustment on the MTS is such an obvious thing, the tech at least should have known better to let something go out that couldn't really be tuned.

I've got an Olds flugabone and a Wessex festivo. I've never been able to play the Olds with other trombones, it's a solo or just practice instrument all the way. The Festivo has a compensating system, but it doesn't guarantee "point and shoot" tuning.

[EZSlider]

Hoping to have my pimped out king back from Melanie in the next month
EZ

[muschem]

Hoping to have my pimped out king back from Melanie in the next month
EZ

Nice! Would love to see how it turned out

[BrassSection]

Shown is 3rd valve slide on my trumpet. Threaded rod with lock nut determines on the fly slide travel, shown slightly extended. Tuning slide is to the left beyond the trigger in its normal tuned position.

3FF1AB7B-DEF1-438F-94C1-0D70F6A0A0FC.jpeg

[EZSlider]

Still waiting.. we seem to be beyond actually setting completion dates now.. Just a nebulous "someday" feel to it now.. Don't like to bash, but I was told mid February when I shipped Melanie my horn beginning of December.... I have had time to not only(With the help of my wife) conceive and bare a child and still no hope of getting any use out of a $3000 investment in this project.. Sorry to vent, just considering scrapping the project at this point.. I'm sure Melanie does great work, just be forewarned that she places much more importance on "what pays the bills" than "the fun projects" I. E. Your's and my projects..
EZ

[Matt K]

Having now done a LOT of custom projects, that's pretty par for the course, unfortunately. It is understandable, there's a lot that goes into it and its hard to clear say, three working days to do something like this. I've thought about learning how to do it myself, with all that spare time I have! I have one project I've been waiting on for... six(?) years and it's been very valid reasons it's not finished (part availability is a PITA for the last few years in particular), I think that one is wrapping up soon!

[BGuttman]

Special projects can't take precedence over a non-functional instrument needing some kind of repair. Hard to justify working on something exotic when you have a crying musician with a bad axe needing your special care. And let's face it -- most repair people make their living from the repairs and regular maintenance; not special projects.

[JohnL]

...crying musician with a bad axe needing your special care.

You forgot the "with a gig tonight and no viable backup horn"...

That's one reason a lot of really good techs are reluctant to take on restorations and major customizations. They know (often from hard experience) that, as soon as they get your special project up on the bench to start working on it, someone's gonna come through the door with a "hair on fire" emergency.

[ODubhain82]

I wonder if the Lake City model is the same as this one?
https://www.thomann.de/ie/thomann_mb30_ ... ariton.htm

[Matt K]

It's sort of hard to tell from the pictures but no, that's a marching baritone. This one is a marching trombone: https://www.schmittmusic.com/products/l ... -flugabone

[JohnL]

It's sort of hard to tell from the pictures but no, that's a marching baritone. This one is a marching trombone: https://www.schmittmusic.com/products/l ... -flugabone

Well....

Dimension	Lake City 415	Thomann MB-30
Bell Diameter	8.7"	220.5 mm (8.7")
Bore	.492"	12.5 mm (.492")

I'd say that, while they may not be exactly the same, they're pretty close.

[AtomicClock]

Check Thomann's MBH-303 (over on the right-hand side, under "Show variations of this product"). That is a true marching baritone -- much more conical. ODubhain82's MB-30 is probably a mis-categorized marching trombone.

Thomann put two different instruments in with the same name. Probably because the phrase "marching trombone" has a different meaning in Europe.

[Matt K]

Ah good catch. Yeah, 8.7" seems large for me for a flugabone, but I do think the Thomann site just has it miscategorized now that that's pointed out.

[AtomicClock]

Probably because the phrase "marching trombone" has a different meaning in Europe.

Of course, so does "baritone".

[ODubhain82]

I've got the Thomann version. Seems miscatagorised as it is very cylindrical.