Lawler Model 4 .525 Bore

[Enartselim]

I've been following the posts on this board for a few weeks now and have digested so much information.

I've been in the market for a bigger horn/sound. I'm a one to two trick pony in that I play small combo jazz and maybe some occasional Funk, R&B, or Blues. My current horn is a Yamaha 891z with a Bach 5GS mouthpiece. I love the Yamaha for most things I do but I've always had this desire for a bigger, darker, mellower sound. After reading numerous posts on this board I decided to give Roy Lawler a call to discuss his horns. I was thinking I wanted a .525 bore horn (test drove a few) and Roy's Model 4 Big Boy seemed to be exactly what I wanted. We emailed back and forth and talked a few times about materials, leadpipes, flares, etc. I was thoroughly impressed with Roy's patience and how he seemed to enjoy answering my questions and the passion I sensed from how he felt about his horns. I was sold! I ordered my horn in late July and it should be delivered this week. Can't wait!
My set up:
Model 4R standard weight (.025) red brass stem
Flares: .022 bronze 8”rim/.025 red brass 8”rim
.525 twin bore nickel slide with brass end bow.
#10 leadpipe.
As with all the other posts I've read, Roy assured me that I can return and/or exchange any or all of the setup if, for whatever reason, it's not right me. Can't beat that.

Once I get the horn and drive it for a few weeks I'll follow-up this post with my thoughts but I'm sure I'm gonna love it.

[TromboneForTwo]

Congratulations!! Looks like a sweet horn... and yes please update!

[SwissTbone]

Yeah! Looking forward to your review!

[thepianoman04]

Looking forward to hearing an update on your thoughts. A friend of mine played a Model 4 with a .020 stem he had in the shop he made for someone that returned it because it didn’t work out but still made my friend smile and got him curious on his own model 4 similar to the specs you ordered as he prefers the .525 bore horns.

I’m more of a .508 or .500/.508 dual bore player but can’t imagine the .525 to be anything short of spectacular.

Ive had my model 2R for over a week now and I can’t seem to put it down. The horn makes playing exciting again and got a couple compliments on both the look and sound of my Lawler at the only rehearsal I’ve been to since I got it.

Easiest playing horn I’ve ever owned and gives me the sound I love and ease of playing I didn’t think possible to be in the same horn.

I always thought you get one or the other. Sound you like (Shires IMHO) but you gotta work for it or the horn plays well but isn’t the exact sound you want (Rath IMHO).

Im sure you will be happy once it arrives! Waiting is the hardest part & I only had to wait a little less than 2 weeks. lol

[Enartselim]

Unfortunately the Model 4 didn't work for me. I returned it to Roy yesterday. Beautiful horn and superb craftmanship. I wanted very badly for it to be a fit but in the end I came to the conclusion that I'm not a .525 guy. When this COVID-19 nightmare is over I plan to visit Roy's shop and do a better job of test driving some of his other horns, alloys, lead pipes, configurations, etc. Roy was plasure to work with and I would love to get another shot at him building a horn for me. The .525 just wasn't it.

[johntarr]

For some reason, I like .525 bore horns but also know that they are generally too big for most jazz/commercial settings. Oddly enough, as I wrote in my Lawler review, changing some parts of my approach to playing has made the Model 4 easier for me and I just am very fond of the horn. Were I to play lead or in a situation in which I needed serious projection and range, the Model 4 wouldn’t work.

My suspicion is that Roy’s other horns can be set up to get most of that great 4 sound with more ease. I was torn between ordering a 3 and 4 when I got mine and I would love to visit Roy’s shop and tryout his other horns. But, living in Europe and with the current situation, that won’t happen soon.

[skaskaster]

if you want more dark and bigger sound maybe you should try king silversonics bones, or conn 6h?
i have yamaha 651 and conn 6h (the victor one) and 6h sounds bigger and darker, when the bore size is similar...

[TheSheriff]

Unfortunately the Model 4 didn't work for me. I returned it to Roy yesterday. Beautiful horn and superb craftmanship. I wanted very badly for it to be a fit but in the end I came to the conclusion that I'm not a .525 guy. When this COVID-19 nightmare is over I plan to visit Roy's shop and do a better job of test driving some of his other horns, alloys, lead pipes, configurations, etc. Roy was plasure to work with and I would love to get another shot at him building a horn for me. The .525 just wasn't it.

..
The same thing happened to me. I am not a .525 kind of guy so I returned it. I still have my model 1 which is a great fit for me.
..

[TheSheriff]

For some reason, I like .525 bore horns but also know that they are generally too big for most jazz/commercial settings. Oddly enough, as I wrote in my Lawler review, changing some parts of my approach to playing has made the Model 4 easier for me and I just am very fond of the horn. Were I to play lead or in a situation in which I needed serious projection and range, the Model 4 wouldn’t work.

My suspicion is that Roy’s other horns can be set up to get most of that great 4 sound with more ease. I was torn between ordering a 3 and 4 when I got mine and I would love to visit Roy’s shop and tryout his other horns. But, living in Europe and with the current situation, that won’t happen soon.

..
Model 3 with a 500/508 dual bore gets a big fat sound and is easier to drive than the 525......for me. Having said that I sold my model 3 because I am retired and do not play much anymore. I still have my model 1.
..

[JerryY]

Big and Fat! - model 3 in all .022 bronze. Stem and bell.

Jerry

[johntarr]

Big and Fat! - model 3 in all .022 bronze. Stem and bell.

Jerry

That’s a combination I’d really like to try. I’m using the bronze .25 flare and like that sound more than the yellow and red. What slide are you using?

[JerryY]

.500 all nickel. I use a #15 leadpipe. I kept wanting to use the #10, but in real world performance situations, the #15 was much better. I started with the 8" bronze flare and 8" red flare. I sent the red flare back for a 7 1/2" bronze. The all bronze combination just works for me. The sound is great.