TromboneChat

Snooping around old Kanstul threads. What in the world are these tone intensifiers they used to sell. I am so intrigued by the name, but then again I bought IBM 20 years ago.

Attaching image for posterity:
Original description:

This handy gadget funnels vibrations normally lost through the horn for greater power and projection. Also stops unnecessary vibrations in the mouthpiece shank.

Allegedly adding a little mass to the shank alters the sound in positive ways. I know a few people who I totally respect who have these or made similar ones. I've never really tried something like that, though.

I have one that i use on the shank of my bass trumpet mouthpiece. It’s pretty heavy compared to a mouthpiece and definitely changes the feel in the same way a heavy mouthpiece blank does. Don’t know if it changes the sound in a noticeable way. 100% not snake oil, in my opinion.

Back in the Bad Old Days (pre Kanstul) they used to sell these as the Sound Sleeve. I made one out of an old bearing. Seemed to enhance my lower register without doing anything to my upper. Then I changed trombones and the improvised Sound Sleeve didn't fit. Guess what? My lower register was still enhanced and my upper register was unaffected. Did it help? Dunno. I used to offer my bearing to anybody who asked, but I no longer have access to it.

Always keep your bearings.

Too late for that!

So changing weight in different points on a horn has an effect on how the horn plays, but the room plays a big role in it. There are certain rooms where having heavy equipment will make it easy to play. There are other rooms where the same heavy equipment will be very difficult to play. So the ability to change the weight could potentially make it easier to play with the same resistance in a variety of rooms.

The harmonic brace, heavy valve caps, resistance balancer, etc etc all are tools that maybe can help adapt a horn to the room you're in.

That all said - it's easy to mess with these things in one room and decide that it's horrible, but it could really help in a different room.

Fascinated! Now even more curious. If I find one and start using it will I be suspended by the TBC for inserting an implant?

i have one of these (not made by Kanstul) that I have used on a couple mouthpieces, including a Teele model that is so light that it is nearly useless. With the weight it's a much better playing piece.

BGuttman wrote: ↑Tue Aug 01, 2023 7:01 am I used to offer my bearing to anybody who asked

How very liberated. Could you spin it for Leslie vib?

Burgerbob wrote: ↑Tue Aug 01, 2023 11:41 am i have one of these (not made by Kanstul) that I have used on a couple mouthpieces, including a Teele model that is so light that it is nearly useless. With the weight it's a much better playing piece.

What? You mean you don't like peeling paint at pianissimo with the Teele? Marcinkiewicz mouthpieces are definitely different, that's for sure. I remember reading an article about the light weight design, but I can't find it anymore.

I wonder if they would make one of the endorsee mouthpieces in the Pro-Line shape.

Chuck McAlexander (the Brasslab) in NYC used to make these - he called his "mouthpiece doughnuts". They definitely make a difference in response, similar to the different blanks that some mouthpiece manufacturers offer. Whether it's a positive or negative difference depends on the player, the mouthpiece and the difference that you are looking for. I found that the one that I had made the slotting more pronounced and the loud playing a bit more dialled-in, but also maybe lost a bit of color in soft playing. Ultimately, it didn't fit (literally) when I changed instruments, and the mouthpiece fit just a small amount further into the receiver. A whole lot of mouthpieces later, I'm not sure where the "doughnut" is!

Jim Scott

tbonesullivan wrote: ↑Tue Aug 01, 2023 2:20 pm
I wonder if they would make one of the endorsee mouthpieces in the Pro-Line shape.

They will.


http://mouthpieceexpress.com/catalog/pr ... s_id=19572

I have the same kind of thing but a generic version. I used it for a while about 25 years ago. My experience was it made things “stiff” in flexibility—the horn slotted too well. It also took more effort to start and sustain a note.

I suppose I could use it as a training device: play flexibilities with it on then off, long tones on then off to focus on coordination of breath, tongue shape, embouchure shape, etc. Worth a second thought…