.525 horn, with large and small shank leadpipes

[Bach5G]

Has anybody compared playing a .525 horn using small vs a large shank mouthpiece and leadpipes?

Thoughts?
Preferences?

[Posaunus]

A large-shank mouthpiece will never fit quite properly in a 0.525" bore lead pipe. Conn makes a compromise, but it's... a compromise. OK in a pinch.

[CalgaryTbone]

Shires makes a large shank leadpipe for their .525 slides. A player that I know in one of the Florida orchestras was playing that combo for a while, although I think it might have been a dual bore .525/.547. He was happy with it at that point - I think he has moved on to other equipment.

Jim Scott

[SwissTbone]

I had a Rath R3 recently that came with two leadpipes. One for large bore and one for small bore. I played it with my large bore mouthpiece exclusively and really liked it. A little more direct than a .547 horn, but added flexibility in coloring the sound.

Here it is: https://swisstbone.com/rath-r3f-tenor-trombone/

[Matt K]

It makes a huge difference. A large shank mouthpiece makes up almost all the difference (not quite all the way though) between it being a medium bore be a large bore, especially a 525/547. But it is easier to play and has a bit more character and sparkle to the sound. Especially if you tweak the bell section to go the direction you want to go (eg 8” bell ha the 8.5”, maybe a touch lighter bell, etc)

Smaller shank gives more brightness. You can dial this in based on your mouthpiece choice too. Doug makes a 3,4, and 5 shank for example that are all small shanks that change the blow and sound you get out of a 525. Obviously, other makers make pieces that have more open backbores and deeper cups too.

So if I wanted something that was commercial sounding, I might go with a more centered pipe like a shires 1 (small shank) and a shallow cup with a 3 or 4 like an XT D or XT E. if I was playing 3rd or 4th out of 5 in a big band, certain classical works (solo, brass quintet with a lot of commercial or jazz on it, etc) I might bump it up to a 5 shank. For classical, switch over to a large shank and maybe deeper cup. XT E or XT G with an 8 shank and a 2 or 3 pipe.

[hyperbolica]

Has anybody compared playing a .525 horn using small vs a large shank mouthpiece and leadpipes?

Thoughts?
Preferences?

When I bought a UMI 8ht from Horn Guys, I got the sl2525 with 3 pipes. One was the X pipe, which took large shank mpc. I liked the smaller slide and small shank mpc combination, and thought that with the large shank it wasn't a big enough change from the 547 slide. To me, if you're going to use large shank you might as well use a large slide.

[Matt K]

The "X" leadpipe is pretty unique! It has a very large chunk of nickel on the top that is the mouthpiece receiver. I couldn't find one in the 30 seconds I spent Googling, I'll have to take a picture. Definitely not for everyone.

[sacfxdx]

Here you go.

7159EBCE-B524-40C8-9EA0-0D148AB9015D.jpeg

EF4D42BE-D66A-4712-9BD5-C3482362528D.jpeg

[posaunebone]

Has anyone noticed if there's a different between the large or small shank pipes on a narrow or wide slide? Considering widening a 36 slide and I wonder if that's a variable to this leadpipe question, or if it's just ergonomic preference. Would it follow that narrow/small shank and wide/large shank are the preferred pairings?

[Matt K]

I've tried a few and generally prefer narrow slides for both medium and large bore. The difference is pretty subtle imo. Its less of a difference than wide vs. "bass" slides on 547 horns.

[MrHCinDE]

I have the SL2525 and use it with an N-series Elkhart 8h bell section.

If I‘m playing on a small shank leadpipe I‘ll generally use a Rath S5 or S4.5. My main large bore mouthpiece is a Rath L5 which I would also use with the X leadpipe in the SL2525. I can compare pretty directly then the effect of larger shank (and presumably back bore) and leadpipe on otherwise identical setups.

I can‘t think of many times I‘d personally choose the L5/X/SL2525 over the L5 with a 0.547“ slide. Sure, the X leadpipe is useful to have in the bag and gives, for me, a sound much closer to the large bore setup than with a small shank 0.525“ pipe. For minimal extra kit I can get a very different sound, which occasionally can be useful but isn’t my usual setup.

More generally I prefer the SL2525 with a small shank leadpipe. I don’t usually want it to play like a large bore slide, for that purpose I have a large bore slide.

If my main reason for playing the SL2525 was air efficiency, perhaps the X pipe would be a good option as it gets nearly the same sound with less air.

[sstelmack]

I have been using a loaner horn until my shires 525 comes in. The loaner is a 525/547 dual bore. Right now I'm using a small shank on it but have tested a bit with the large shank. I think with my set up they are fairly close. I think when my horn actually gets here I'll be testing the large shank a lot more but for the pit band I'm in atm the small shank is working better. Oh my horn will be a straight 525.

[LeoInFL]

I just placed an order with Brad Close (brassmedic.com) for a leadpipe for my Edwards 0.525" handslide. I ordered a drawn nickel silver, Mt Vernon 0.525" leadpipe with a large shank Edwards collar. I have been using a nickel silver leadpipe in my 0.547" slide for years now and it's the response I'm accustomed to.