TromboneChat

Cats,

I've been playing on a Bach 42H for a while. The slide - something's up with it - all my mouthpieces stick out further than usual. Maybe half an inch. This horn is hard to play. It's not the bell section. When I've switched the slides with other horns it feels great. I'm wondering if you guys had any recommendations for mouthpieces for this horn, or if there's something about Bach slides that I missed.

For reference, the slide has no leadpipe (EDIT: no removable leadpipe)and is #100729. The mouthpiece that seems to work the best is a Shires 5g or a Stork 5S. I read the other day that Denis Wick developed the 5ABL in order to work better with 42 horns... is that a lead?

Thank you!!!

If the slide has no leadpipe you should see your mouthpieces go in much farther than you expect. There has to be something there.

The lack of a leadpipe could be a clue to why it's hard to play. You have to be Charlie Vernon to get it to work.

The 4ABL has an intermediate cup between the 4AL and 4BL Has a large shank. If your other mouthpieces are small shank, that could also be part of the problem; this horn requires large shank mouthpieces.

Maybe your problem isn't that there is no leadpipe but that you are trying to use a small shank mouthpiece on a large shank horn?

Sorry! What I meant was that it doesn't have a removable leadpipe! I don't know why I even wrote that in.

If the mouthpiece is not seating to the expected depth (nominally 1"), there's something off. Could be some sort foreign material in the receiver area, could be a dent in the receiver (unlikely on a non-removable leadpipe). Also unlikely but possible is that someone has altered the receiver for some reason.

So you have mated other slides with the bell section and it plays better--correct??

Is the slide marked as a Bach 42 slide??

Does the mouthpiece really "seat" or does it just kinda bottom out and get all wobbly?

I have seen many horns including Bachs that had receivers that were not really finished properly, so the mouthpiece doesn't go in a full inch.

There are 3 possible solutions:
1. Have the receiver reamed to the right size - easier said than done, since there's no reamer the right size, for a reasonable price.

2. Have the leadpipe pulled, and use removeable leadpipes.

3. Get a short mouthpiece like a Wick, or a smaller than normal shank (I make them) and it will play better.

Thank you for all the replies!

The slide is marked as a 42. I did try another 42 slide from a friend (with removable leadpipe) and it did play better, and the mouthpiece slotted in the "normal" area.

The mouthpiece is seated - not wobbly.

I will look into the shorter mouthpieces! I don't know when I'll be able to get the leadpipe pulled for a while.

Actually not that difficult to reform the receiver area in the leadpipe.
Ferree's sells a forming tool that works OK.
But take it to a competent tech & let them fit your mouthpiece, cheaper than a new one!


Eric