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.