Bach Sterling Plus bells

[greenbean]

Bach has offered silver bells for the past few decades, I believe. I recall some discussion on TTF about these bells being very different than King's silver bells.

Can anyone with real-world experience with these bells discuss?...

Also, do these horns bring premium prices?...

Thanks, y'all!

[BGuttman]

If I recall correctly, SGX bells are electroformed. King Sterling bells are made from sheet.

The electroformed bells are 100% silver while Sterling is 92.5% (balance copper). I would expect the copper to make the bell a little stronger.

While I played a 2B Silvertone, I have never played a Bach or Conn SGX so I can't compare.

[elmsandr]

The Bach bells are soft, soft, and soft. You look at sideways and it will dent. Look at it directly and it may wrinkle.

Sound is interesting, but not the same density as the King silver Sonics.

I got one at a discount, sold it on at an OK price, not a premium.

Cheers,
Andy

[whitbey]

I have an Edwards Sterling bell. It is well made from sheet. It has lots of character. I played a Bach electroformed A few years ago. It was almost numb and sterile. And too thin to be useful. When I clank my Edwards bell it has no particular pitch and you can hear the overtones waver. The Bach bell had a pitch to it that played different when you are near it.
I heard a trumpet player comment on two copper bells the same way. One was sheet and the other electroformed. He had the same issues with the electroformed.

[bimmerman]

I have both a 2B Silversonic (Sterling Sheet) and a 16M Sterling Plus (electroformed), because I have a problem with ooo shiny. I also have brass versions of the same horns.

I really dig the 16M's bell. It's silly soft and crazy thin, and to me is really responsive and vibrant (at least, compared to the yellow and gold brass 16M bells I have). It defaults to more of a bright tone and I doubt it would hold together as well at higher dynamics...but haven't tried since I don't ever need to play that loudly. The silver bell is much lighter than the brass bells. I don't get a numb or sterile vibe from it, I like it a lot. Maybe I found a good one? I've heard that people find the Sterling Plus bells to affect projection, but to be honest, I have no clue.

The Silversonic, bore size aside, is a MUCH darker playing horn. The bell is significantly heavier than the brass version and really doesn't seem to wake up until mid dynamics, but can really hold together at louder dynamics without going full chainsaw. It's got a more....shimmery? sound. I like the horn a lot, but it's a very different beast.

As far as sound character goes....one sounds like a Bach with something extra, the other sounds like a King with something extra. They both have complex sounds but they are very different complex sounds.

[mrdeacon]

Are the Conn 88h Sterling bells also electroformed?

The one I've seen in the flesh had a super heavy bell. Cool horn and played great but wasn't something I would ever purchase and use daily.

[Howwies]

I own a Bach Sterling Plus 72 trumpet. The silver bell is significantly darker than an equivalent bell in Yellow brass. A rose brass bell (all else being equal) will also be relatively dark, but also less focused/centered. The Sterling Plus is darker than the rose brass, but also more focused than rose brass.

I feel that the silver tends to hold together at louder volumes better than rose brass or yellow brass. It feels slightly less responsive though. I bought this when I was in a search for a super-dark sound, and later realized that I was working too hard. I had the horn rebuilt by Charlie Melk (it was a good horn, and now it's exceptional), and had the lacquer stripped and had it silver plated along with the rebuild. This brightened it up enough to make it useable for most settings.

The thickness of the Sterling Plus bell on the trumpet is similar to most other bells. I can't speak to the thickness of a Sterling Plus trombone bell though. As stated above, silver is significantly softer than yellow brass, so it does dent more easily, but my experience hasn't been that the Sterling Plus is a ton more fragile or dent prone compared to my yellow brass belled horns.

I work in the industry and have played several thousand horns (trumpets, trombones, euph, flugel, cornet, horn, etc). There are a ton of other parameters that can muddy the waters (bell shape, bell size, wall thickness, heat treatment, buffing process, lacquered vs raw vs silver plated, etc.), but these traits shine through the other factors pretty consistently.