TromboneChat

I have a King 6B duo gravis that I will have rebuilt!

The inner slide tubes are pretty beat up, and I would happily replace all 4 slide tubes, and have a new crook built the shape of the old one.

Question: Is it possible to use new Bach 50 slide tubes (sourced from O'Malley, I hope) in the rebuild, assuming that removing the original 2-piece leadpipe is possible, and can be slightly modified (if even necessary) to fit the Bach tubes?

The leadpipe could come out in one piece but don't count on it. The question about tubes I can not answer.

/Tom

Thanks, someone mentioned that the leadpipe consists of two pieces, I can't really tell!

It's a two piece leadpipe, but they are soldered together. Kings usually come out okay.

Burgerbob wrote: Wed Feb 04, 2026 12:37 pm It's a two piece leadpipe, but they are soldered together. Kings usually come out okay.

Thanks, will keep my fingers crossed!

Replacing both inners and outers with a matched set is ideal if original parts are not available, and you'll end up with a better result than trying to repair old, damaged tubes.

Both the 50 and 6B are .562. Leadpipes are typically made with enough clearance that installing the old pipe in a new .562 tube should not pose any issue.

Based on the pics I see online, it looks like DG outers have drawn-in "sleeves" while Bach 50 outers do not. Whoever does the slide rebuild will need to address that. There's also the question of mating up to the DG end crook with the Bach tubes; your tech might need to fab a set of custom ferrules. Neither of these is a deal breaker, just something you need to be aware of.

JohnL wrote: Wed Feb 04, 2026 6:33 pm Based on the pics I see online, it looks like DG outers have drawn-in "sleeves" while Bach 50 outers do not. Whoever does the slide rebuild will need to address that. There's also the question of mating up to the DG end crook with the Bach tubes; your tech might need to fab a set of custom ferrules. Neither of these is a deal breaker, just something you need to be aware of.

You are absolutely right, the King slide does have drawn oversleeves, but not sure why this would make a difference if using Bach 50 outer slides as replacement tubes?

The 50 tubes wouldn't have them. They are probably thicker overall than the stock kings after the oversleeves, though.

I don’t have any facts or figures on hand, but my impression is that Bach slide tubes, particularly the outers, will be heavier gauge and heavier weight than King slide tubes, even if you use Bach nickel slide tubes. Brass, of course, will be quite a bit heavier.

Thanks, ultimately, I’ll let Scott Sweeney sort it all out, I’m just impatient, and interested in understanding what I have in store with the overhaul.

FWIW, the US-market Yamaha YBL-620G slides have nickel outer tubes with drawn in oversleeves.

I have a pair of those which were taken off a brand new 620G slide which I had converted to brass tubes with soldered on nickel sleeves. I may be willing to part with them if Scott could use them on your project. Not sure how they compare specs-wise to the King tubes though...

bassclef wrote: Wed Feb 11, 2026 10:19 am FWIW, the US-market Yamaha YBL-620G slides have nickel outer tubes with drawn in oversleeves.

Yamaha tubes might be a better option all around, depending on availability and whether they're long enough.

Thanks, I suspect the slide could do with replacing all 4 tubes, and I assume is best served by buying tubes that he knows to be compatible.

I'll leave it up to Scott.

Still not sure why the oversleeves would make a difference, and why the lack of them would be a problem?

JTeagarden wrote: Wed Feb 11, 2026 10:29 amStill not sure why the oversleeves would make a difference, and why the lack of them would be a problem?

Unless you're trying to change the way an instrument plays, it's generally best to try to find replacement parts that are as close to the originals as possible.

I hear you generally, but are oversleeves a big part of the equation? Not even sure why they even have them.

Better: Since the original oversleeves are actually drawn from the outer slide tubes, and not a separate piece fitting over them, wouldn'l simply using a slide tube otherwise quite close to the original specs be pretty darn close?