Nickel leadpipe

[Ramhorn]

Hi all. I wanted to share a curious experience that I am having. I purchased a nickle leadpipe, to give my sound a little zip for big band playing. Much to my surprise, I sound quite a bit darker on it than with my brass leadpipe. I know that the terms dark and bright are subjective, but I can hear and "feel" stronger fundamental overtones with the nickle pipe. The sound is also more complex and rich which, once again, is supposed to be the opposite. I really like it.

So far all I have to go by is my own feedback. I'll play it later this week in community orchestra and will get the section feedback on it.

Has anyone experienced anything similar, where your results were the opposite of what was "supposed" to happen?
Cheers.
P.S. The rest of the horn is a Shires bass with a Medium weight gold bell.

[Matt K]

Yeah that's not surprising. I've found that nickel makes it easier for me to articulate which, in turn, also makes it easier for me to control timbre. It's default is brighter but because of that ease of playing, it can also make my sound darker. Depending on the overall horn, of course. Nickel pipes might be a bit much but nickel crooks and possibly nickel slides work well with the types of horns I like.

[Ramhorn]

Didn't think about from that angle. Makes sense. Thanks.

[tbonesullivan]

I noticed this type of thing when I had a Stainless Steel mouthpiece for a while. The Nickel is a harder alloy, so it will respond differently than the usual brass.

[doctortrombone]

Is it the same taper as the brass pipe you're comparing it to? Same manufacturer? Material is only one variable.

[Pre59]

I have a brass and an identical sterling silver lead pipe, and in short, the silver one softens the attacks and reduces the brightness, I sometimes wonder what a rose brass with the same profile would be like. Splitting the difference?

[Matt K]

I'd usually describe silver as 'denser' rather than 'darker'. It's a really strange feeling if you've only ever played brass or nickel pipes. I really like the feeling though, although I don't presently play one due to cost. I had one of the Brassark 32H pipes made in sterling but it was just a little to dark, dense or whatnot for the commercial horn I was using it in.

[Burgerbob]

Yup, I find the sterling stuff to have just a ton of core, like the sound is now a tungsten rod. It's a little crazy.

[Ramhorn]

Is it the same taper as the brass pipe you're comparing it to? Same manufacturer? Material is only one variable.

Yep all the same Shires B1.5 long. Now I'm curious to try a sterling silver pipe.

[norbie2018]

What about sterling makes it so costly for a lead pipe? Some are 4x the cost of a standard brass leadpipe.

[norbie2018]

I just answered my own question: it is over 90% silver.

[down8ve]

Most high-end instruments come with different tapers of brass pipes. The B&S Sarastro I use now came with three pipes of the same taper but different materials. Didn't think they'd play as differently as they do. Nickel one is quite thick in the lower fundamentals, gold brass is a couple of steps lighter with a focused core and a bit more width between the partials, and the brass is much brighter with pronounced attacks. Nice to have the variety.

[Kdanielsen]

I much prefer ss on both my tenor and bass. The response is faster, more complex sound, and better slots.

[fwbassbone]

I just got a nickel silver pipe for my Greenhoe bass last week. It has the same taper and is the same length as the brass pipe I was using. The nickel pipe slots better, has easier articulations, and produces a little more core than the brass pipe.

[GBP]

This is is from a rehearsal where I was playing my Edwards CRE bass trombone. It has a 23g yellow brass bell with an all nickel slide and #2 nickel leadpipe. I do feel the horn is zippier in terms of response. I don’t feel like the sound is brighter than my other horns with brass slides and pipes.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7tajtx1bxvs4g ... p.mp3?dl=0

This is my Edwards 502i with a #3 brass pipe.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/w2wk107n7x9nb ... 4.MOV?dl=0

[TromboneMonkey]

I'd usually describe silver as 'denser' rather than 'darker'. It's a really strange feeling if you've only ever played brass or nickel pipes. I really like the feeling though, although I don't presently play one due to cost. I had one of the Brassark 32H pipes made in sterling but it was just a little to dark, dense or whatnot for the commercial horn I was using it in.

Yes, and now it's mine all mine!!

It really locks in my (incredibly lightweight) Lawler and makes it almost impossible to overblow, which is just fantastic.

But, for what it's worth, the seamed Brassark pipes will respond differently than spun pipes.