TromboneChat

Not too long ago I saw a thread of someone mentioning that they had or were selling a New York Bach 36 with an 8.5 inch bell… basically making the bell section an undercover NY model 42.

Does anyone have any information on this horn?

There's a few out there.

That's a 42 bell with a .525 slide

That's what we'd call it now, but the 42 didn't exist yet!

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Word is that Jimmy Kneeper’s 36 had a factory 8.5 bell. I’ve played Bachs with 36 slides and 42 bells and it works well, as you would expect a little broader than the standard 8 inch bells

My main horn right now is a custom 8.5” bell section (courtesy of Ray Mason) fitted to a 36 slide, and I LOVE IT. A ton of projection with the nickel bell, you can pop in a slightly bigger mouthpiece and get some really warm tones out of it, and an even bigger mouthpiece for a nice symphonic sound.

Does anyone know if New York 34s were also sometimes made at 8.5in?

Might have been, but that's a different flare/taper.

I’ve never seen nor heard of a 34 bell made on the 446 mandrel with an 8.5 inch flare. I have seen, played, or heard about NY 36 bells made on a mandrel with a larger throat than a 36 or 42, varying in diameter from 7.75, 8, 8.25, and 8.5.

RJMason wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2024 12:37 am I’ve never seen nor heard of a 34 bell made on the 446 mandrel with an 8.5 inch flare. I have seen, played, or heard about NY 36 bells made on a mandrel with a larger throat than a 36 or 42, varying in diameter from 7.75, 8, 8.25, and 8.5.

Oh wow I would love to try a 7.75” 36 or 34.