Knockoff of Bach 42K
Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2021 12:57 am
I bought a 42K lookalike from an online auction (background is here: https://trombonechat.com/viewtopic.php? ... 6555&hilit )
At the time I pressed "buy it now" I wasn't sure what it was, but the price I paid was low even for a lookalike so I'm glad that I won't die wondering. I've put it back on the market locally and will hopefully recover my investment.
Here's a quick review, mainly to provide a record on TC that these things exist:
There are no markings on it to identify the manufacturer or model. I presume it was manufactured in China. The valve rotor is machined from a solid piece of metal, unlike the genuine Bach article. It is hard work to actuate because of the weight. It has a screw-on cap on the bottom of the valve which on the Bach provides access to a hole for oil, but on the knockoff one there is no hole.
It looks like all yellow brass, but I have no idea exactly what materials were used. Build quality looks OK and looks like it is a few years old, although has lost a lot of lacquer around the contact points.
The taper on the slide receiver is smaller than a Bach, although the thread on the nut is the same (I tried to fit it to a 50B valve section I have lying around.)
The mouthpiece receiver is for a large shank mouthpiece, although the taper is slightly different to normal. A standard Bach mouthpiece wobbles slightly in the receiver. It came with an unmarked mouthpiece which fits correctly and has a cup and rim similar to a Bach 4, although the outside shape looks more Denis Wick.
Compared with by usual large bore (Besson 944, Hagmann, rose bell) the bell section is actually lighter (1180g vs 1280g) despite the solid valve core.
However the outer handslide is significantly heavier (330g vs 254g for the Besson.)
It can be played to produce a decent sound, but it is noticeably harder work than the Besson to control the dynamics or color the sound. I tried the knockoff valve section with the Besson slide (friction fit) and it played noticeably better - reminded me of the 1980s yellow King 4B I had.
The partials mainly line up OK although it's a bit flat on high F in 1st. The f attachment is flat on low f.
Happy to try to answer any questions.
Cheers
Dave
At the time I pressed "buy it now" I wasn't sure what it was, but the price I paid was low even for a lookalike so I'm glad that I won't die wondering. I've put it back on the market locally and will hopefully recover my investment.
Here's a quick review, mainly to provide a record on TC that these things exist:
There are no markings on it to identify the manufacturer or model. I presume it was manufactured in China. The valve rotor is machined from a solid piece of metal, unlike the genuine Bach article. It is hard work to actuate because of the weight. It has a screw-on cap on the bottom of the valve which on the Bach provides access to a hole for oil, but on the knockoff one there is no hole.
It looks like all yellow brass, but I have no idea exactly what materials were used. Build quality looks OK and looks like it is a few years old, although has lost a lot of lacquer around the contact points.
The taper on the slide receiver is smaller than a Bach, although the thread on the nut is the same (I tried to fit it to a 50B valve section I have lying around.)
The mouthpiece receiver is for a large shank mouthpiece, although the taper is slightly different to normal. A standard Bach mouthpiece wobbles slightly in the receiver. It came with an unmarked mouthpiece which fits correctly and has a cup and rim similar to a Bach 4, although the outside shape looks more Denis Wick.
Compared with by usual large bore (Besson 944, Hagmann, rose bell) the bell section is actually lighter (1180g vs 1280g) despite the solid valve core.
However the outer handslide is significantly heavier (330g vs 254g for the Besson.)
It can be played to produce a decent sound, but it is noticeably harder work than the Besson to control the dynamics or color the sound. I tried the knockoff valve section with the Besson slide (friction fit) and it played noticeably better - reminded me of the 1980s yellow King 4B I had.
The partials mainly line up OK although it's a bit flat on high F in 1st. The f attachment is flat on low f.
Happy to try to answer any questions.
Cheers
Dave