Do leadpipes affect a horn’s intonation?

[Bach5G]

I just started using a different leadpipe and I’ve noticed that the D and F in 1st position seem flat.

Could a leadpipe change cause this?

[BGuttman]

Sometimes. Usually D is flat and F is sharp. A good horn design (including leadpipe) can minimize this effect.

If both D and F are flat, you may be using too large a mouthpiece. See if a smaller one fixes the problem. This seems to be a common problem with bass trombone players who decide that "you can't ever get big enough" to get the lower pedals to speak. From my experience playing bass trombone in an orchestra for 30 years, you will see a lot more D's and F's than you will ever see notes below the staff, let alone pedals.

[muschem]

On most of the horns I played years ago, I noted the same trends Bruce outlined - flat D4, sharp F4. Back then, I only had fixed leadpipe horns... nothing interchangeable like we see very commonly now. No problem... keep the main tuning slide in and play off the bumpers to adjust that flat D and problem solved.

Fast forward a bit... I returned to a world of highly modular and high quality options. The ability to change a component close to the face (well, closer than say a neck pipe, tuning slide or bell material, etc.) intrigued me. So, when I ordered a JJ model from Dave Butler, I also ordered a 32H pipe from BrassArk in seamed copper, which they scale up to .508 on request. I swapped out the stock pipe when the horn arrived, and immediately fell in love with the 32H pipe and it has stayed in since. For me, the 32H pipe plays with very consistent tuning on those partials. If anything, the typically flat D is perhaps a shade sharp, but around the same amount as the F above it, and neither of them are sharp by very much compared to baseline tuning.

How much of the intonation characteristics are the pipe, how much the mouthpiece, and how much the rest of the horn, I can't really say. Now I'm curious though, and I need to go back and spend some more time in front of a tuner on the stock pipe Dave sends with the JJ to see how it differs with respect to tuning. I should have a 32H in seamed sterling for .508 from BrassArk soon to compare as well.

[hyperbolica]

When I first got my bass, I tried a lot of leadpipes and marked the tuning of the partials. Each pipe was a little different. Some were out by up to 5-7 cents in certain partials.

So yeah, they make a difference, but not a huge one. You have to learn to play the final configuration of the horn. I pick pipes by blow first, then sound second and intonation third.

[elmsandr]

Yes*

To be clear, there is an INTERACTION between the mouthpiece, the leadpipe, and the bell flare. All the tapered surfaces in the horn will have an effect on the intonation. I agree with the above that you need to learn the overall configuration, so choosing by blow or sound is probably the best plan.

That said, if the intonation is so unfamiliar and odd to you that you can't adjust to it... you may have to choose something else. Some combinations can do that, you just have to see what you want to live with. Luckily, we have a giant tuning slide in our hands.

Cheers,
Andy