Saggy Bell Syndrome

[mwpfoot]

I just took delivery of a vintage horn with a slight crease in the flare just past the front brace. You would never see it, but it points the bell slightly down. This is a big bell horn so now there is less than an inch clearance between the slide grip and the bell.

Problem: I'm clanging it w my fingers.

Options:
1. Hold the slide w fingertips and try not to clang it. Try not to lose the slide either! This is a lot to ask of me.
2. Assemble the horn w an additional 45deg so the bell is only close to the left end of slide grip. Look groovy.
3. Have a tech fix the bell crease. I'm not sure if this is a major or minor deal. Plays nice as-is.
4. Have a tech angle the slide some compensating amount at the slide receiver.
5. Have a tech go full Dizzy Gillespie w it! Or maybe just 1/2 Dizzy; his was a lot.
6. ?

[Burgerbob]

3. Not a super hard thing to fix. And sad bells are sad.

[timothy42b]

3 is probably easiest, but you missed:
6 assemble it left handed. Problem solved. It will actually point up slightly and project better.

I won't guarantee this solution won't generate an additional problem, but that would have to be addressed in another thread.

[hyperbolica]

These creases are caused by the bell being bent down. If the crease alone is fixed, the bell is still bent. So the bell will have to be straightened. This happens a lot on thin belled instruments like the old 88h. It might have been on a trombone stand and someone whacked the slide or the tuning slide. I'm very careful to put my 88h on a stand such that the slide just touches the ground. The bell wasn't made to stand that stress, especially with the stress concentrator of that diamond.

[mwpfoot]

I love new ideas! But not sure if left handed playing would unlock the entire puzzle in my brain - or hasten my descent into madness.

It's an otherwise clean Reynolds "Hi Fi" ... cheaper build of Contempora ~1961. So yes, thin-belled seems accurate. I play a lot on my Olds Recording and this plays like its super mellow uncle who's just chill about everything, man.

After fixing the bell, is it fragile at that joint? Or would it would hold up fine with normal (er, the suggested careful) handling? I couldn't readily move it or anything.

I'm getting close to loading the trailer and bringing all of my old friends to the shop. One more for the list!

[bigbandbone]

What make and model of horn is it please.

[mwpfoot]

What make and model of horn is it please.

Reynolds "Hi Fi" ... https://contemporacorner.com/trombones/hifi-trombones/

[bigbandbone]

Does the bell actually appear bent when you sight down it? The reason I ask is because sometimes the problem lies in the angle that the slide receiver is installed in. Conn 50H's are notorious for this clearance problem.

[hyperbolica]

A very small angle of bend would cause a ripple in front of the brace. I doubt you could actually see it.

Once it's fixed, I think it's no more vulnerable than before. This happened to my 88h when I was in high school 40 years ago. I've been careful ever since and it hasn't happened again. It's a common problem, though.

[mwpfoot]

re: seeing it, hyperbolica is correct in that it is slight enough to not really see. Except when you know it's there, the angles look slightly off from the side view. Droopy. The flare of the bell hides the effect and prevents laying it flat, etc.

Reassuring to hear it's a common issue, and fixable!

Thanks all!

[jtbandmusic]

Simple: have the tech remove the bell, then rotate the bell 180 degrees, so the crease is on the TOP and the bell tilts slightly UP. Any competent tech can handle this.

John Thompson