TromboneChat

Hi all,
I`m primarily a Bach Player, However as a retirement present to myself I bought (what I was told) a King 2B+ with a Sterling Bell. It`s a beautiful instrument but NOT a SS 2B+.
The horn plays tighter than my Bach`s. Now for my question,
Has anyone ever replaced a King gooseneck with a Bach? Say a 16M open gooseneck?
Thanks

If it's "tighter" than a Bach 16M, it may be a standard King 2B (dual-bore, 0.481"/0.491"), not a 2B+ (0.500" bore). You should be able to tell by the Model # engraved on the bell.

It`s a 2B+ not a 2B but I just want to open it up a bit

I'm confused. If it has a sterling bell and it's a 2B+, then it's a Silversonic 2B+.

Have you measured the gooseneck to see if it is actually smaller than the bach? How many other trombones do you have with a Silver bell?

I guess I wasn`t clear. I thought I was buying a SS2B+, I was sold (by a forum member) a 2B+ with a Silver plated bell. I`ve seen other posts where the same thing has happened.
I like the horn, Just looking to Open the fell up.
I have NO other horns with SS bells

A .500 bore won't (and probably shouldn't) feel as open as a .508/.509 bore horn.
Assuming the gooseneck that's on it is part of an overall good design (and I think it is), that's the wrong thing to mess with. I would probably either look at mouthpiece choices or leadpipes. Considering what I do, I'd try backbores.

About 20 years ago, I put a Bach 16M gooseneck on a Elkhart Conn 6H. The original gooseneck was torn up and I wanted a 6H that blew with a little less resistance (I already owned an untouched Elkhart 6H). The 16M gooseneck made a significant difference.....it was not subtle! It works for me because I like large equipment, but it probably would NOT be favorable for most small-bore players.

I think Doug's advice is good. Stick with a King gooseneck that is designed for the horn or at least a gooseneck from another model that is a .500 bore. If you stick a Bach 16M on the horn, you could be stepping it up three sizes above the original: Once for the .500 to .509 bore, twice for the M which means "open gooseneck" and possibly a third time because Bach goosenecks in these size horns tend to be a little larger than Kings.

Mouthpieces are cheaper than goosenecks. My brass 3B opened up with a larger mouthpiece. I tried the Bach line from 12c down to 6.5 AL, not happy. It felt choked off. I tried a Bach 5 (thanks, Doug!) and it felt, well, "right" for me. I later bought a brass 2B and the 5 size works with it too. YMMV.