Playing high notes

[lauriet]

Hi,
Ive been playing a 0.500" bore, 8" bell and had a chance to play a 0.525" bore, 8" bell.
It seemed it was a bit easier to play high notes.
Is this just my imagination or is there a good reason for this ?

Laurie

[Doug Elliott]

Regardless of bore size, some horns have easier range than others. Maybe your mouthpiece is better suited to that bore size. Sometimes less resistance is easier to play. Lots of unknown variables - you didn't mention what horns they are, or your mouthpiece(s).

[lauriet]

Yanaha 354 and bach TB200.
Mouthpiece is yamaha 48

[Doug Elliott]

I've never played a TB200 but I have had several 354's and some of them can be a bit stuffy especially in the upper range, so I can imagine a more open horn feeling easier in the high range.

[Matt K]

When was the last time the 354 was chem cleaned? Is it in good shape? If it's never been cleaned, there are very likely to be chokepoints that are far smaller than the horn has on paper.

[StefanHaller]

Interesting. I have been trying to replace my 354 with a "better" horn for a while now, and I have found a couple horns that sound a lot better and play nicer in the mid or low ranges, but I haven't found any that's easier to play in the high range. And that includes some of the very expensive or often recommended ones, including a Shires MD, Rath R10, and XO 1632. (I guess it must be me then...)

[Doug Elliott]

A good 354 is hard to beat but they're not all like that.

[lauriet]

Well, its pretty new, so I don't think it needs a clean..........
Maybe just me then .

[Burgerbob]

Could definitely be the horn. I just had a used example that sounded very good, but really tightened up above F above the staff.

[TillE]

YSL-354, $1337.00. Seriously?

I wonder what my 1957 H.N. White Cleveland Model would go for today. No wonder parents only buy their kids Soccer shoes and Game Boys these days.

[Matt K]

YSL-354, $1337.00. Seriously?

I wonder what my 1957 H.N. White Cleveland Model would go for today. No wonder parents only buy their kids Soccer shoes and Game Boys these days.

The 1950s catalogues in the HNWhite archives don't have pricing listed but the 1947 catalogue lists the HN White Cleveland model at $105. Adjusted for inflation, this is $1,196.92.

Granted, that is in silver plate so the comparable 354 is $1637 retail. So the difference is about $400 give or take. That's a ~25% increase but the 354S is entirely plated in silver... so the number is somewhere between $140 and $400 more expensive and there is no direct apples-to-apples comparison of the two instruments because the finish options are so different.

The used market is quite a different story. I've purchased 354s for ~$150-250. There are a boatload of them out there for sure. Its probably the most ubiquitous single model trombone ever actually. But that said, there are tons of straight, small bore horns out there which contributes both to its used value as well as the HN White which, on the used market, would probably fetch around the same price though sometimes a touch higher because they obviously aren't produced anymore.