TromboneChat

I have a 42BO & and 50B3. Love the horns except The Trigger mechanisms are all metal and sooooooo noisy.
Anyone had theirs changed out for something quieter?
Who did the work
Thanks

STRAAAAAAANG!

But seriously, string is so quiet, durable and easy to fix/adjust yourself.

Had Miniballs put on my bach 36B, now it's lovely and silent. Marcel at Atelier Pfeiffer in den Haag did the work, cost me less than €20. But any good tech will be able to swap out for Miniballs no problems.

A Clontz linkage (thayervalve.us/store) can be installed without tools. I love mine.
Shortly after I installed it (25.years ago), I stumbled across an excellent writeup on how to properly maintain the stock linkage so it would stay quiet. That could have saved me a few dollars, but I never gave it a try.

A side effect.of the Clontz linkage is it changes the lever arms slightly, shortening the throw; a nice bonus.

If the linkage was once quiet and now noisy, check the bumpers. If older, they get hard and can cause that "clank". I replaced bumpers that were ~30 years old and the difference was amazing. Same Bach linkage, so much quieter. Easy and cheap to do.

The original is actually nice and quiet if packed with grease and adjusted correctly.

Brassmedic, I wish I had the old style Ball & Socket linkage. I liked those and yes they were quiet

Well, that's the question. Is it the old style or the awful minibals? Those wear out and are just as noisy and can't be adjusted.

Softer bumpers helpful?
I know when they get old they get petrified!
My 50B3O had a decent f attachment trigger BUT the Gb/D trigger sounded like a meat grinder…
Mini-balls kept from grease destroying the collars on my shirts, so there’s that.

I have used the Selmer/Bach red tuning slide grease applied directly to the ball mechanism for years. It's quiet, easily replaced, and I've never noticed any sluggishness from the linkage. Just make sure to clean off any old grime before applying it.

dukesboneman wrote: Wed Jul 08, 2026 2:38 pm Brassmedic, I wish I had the old style Ball & Socket linkage. I liked those and yes they were quiet

Oh, I see. Yeah, for some reason they use fake miniballs on Bach trombones while Conns use real miniballs. The fake ones aren't as good. Could replace with real miniballs or the nylon ball and socket kind.

I would first make sure it isn't something else making the noise, like hardened bumpers, too much play in the valve, Loose stop arm screw, loose bumper plate screws, lever hinge worn, or bearing not fully seated or loose fitting.

Ahh yes, those lovely fake miniballs, and I think the screws for them are too big for easily retrofitting real miniballs. Bach has been using them for decades, and for some reason won't make the tolerances better. I also love how often the center piece often can't be tightened on both ends and still work, like the one on my 36.