Cutting a slide to create a C Tenor Trombone

[jazztubajohn]

Hi all,

Looking for a little help here. I recently bought a Yamaha YSL 354VC https://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical ... index.html. I'm a tuba player that doubles and since I play a CC Contrabass; it's nice to think of my open harmonic series in the same key (plus, same fingerings). The case that came with it had a spot for a regular slide as well, which got me thinking...

Can you cut down a Bb tenor slide to make a C trombone? I was thinking if you measured the open tubing of the existing C (being careful to get as precise as possible through the turns in the valve section), you'd have a pretty good shot at cutting down a slide (assuming single bore size). Does this sound right? Or am I just buying an inexpensive/used 354 and butchering it? Also, would I have any issues with Yamaha changing thread sizes/hardware at the joint?

Based on some research, I'm worried about overall intonation, and what it would mean as I was trying to hit 6th and 7th positions.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[LeTromboniste]

By only shortening the slide and not the bell secton, you'll change the cylindrical/conical ratio, which will affect the tuning of the partials. You'll also certainly lose 7th position. Also, you can't cut the slide at the bottom, otherwise you'll be cutting off the stockings. You need to pull the leadpipe, remove the tenon, unsolder the tubing from the cork barrels, pull them out, cut, resolder them, reinsert the leadpipe, put the tenon back........

I would instead check out the YSL-350c. The straight side of the instrument is in C, the valve lowers it by a step and is engaged by default, making it play in Bb/C. If you inverted the valve (an easier and cheaper mod than cutting stuff to shorten an instrument) so that it is disengaged by default, then it would play in C/Bb.

But really, there's something to be said about learning Bb. It'd simplify your life a lot, since it is, after all, the only standard pitch of tenor and bass trombones.

[BGuttman]

Maximilien has a good point. To do it right you need to shorten both slide and bell sections.

You might also look for something called a "Preacher Trombone" which was a C trombone, sometimes fitted with a manual (turned by hand) valve and tubing to put it in Bb. Preacher trombones are generally 100 years old and often in ridiculously small bores.

You might also look to suppliers of Latin Banda instruments. Some players play instruments in Bb and others play instruments in C.

[hyperbolica]

You can get valve trombones in C, common in latin countries. Also, there was a guy here who cut a bass trombone to C, and in one post he describes 3-4 inches from each slide tube, plus some off the neck pipe, and some off the bell, with maybe a custom part required to fit the bell, don't remember exactly. You can read about it starting here: https://www.trombonechat.com/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=2082

[EGoostman]

I’m interested in doing this as well. I’m in the research phase right now, so if you have done this before I’d appreciate your advice before I start cutting tubes.

Thanks,
Geno

[Doug Elliott]

Start by comparing the bell sections on the Yamaha C valve instrument and a Bb YSL354. I've seen both but not compared side-by-side.

[Basbasun]

Hi all,

Looking for a little help here. I recently bought a Yamaha YSL 354VC https://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical ... index.html. I'm a tuba player that doubles and since I play a CC Contrabass; it's nice to think of my open harmonic series in the same key (plus, same fingerings). The case that came with it had a spot for a regular slide as well, which got me thinking...

Can you cut down a Bb tenor slide to make a C trombone? I was thinking if you measured the open tubing of the existing C (being careful to get as precise as possible through the turns in the valve section), you'd have a pretty good shot at cutting down a slide (assuming single bore size). Does this sound right? Or am I just buying an inexpensive/used 354 and butchering it? Also, would I have any issues with Yamaha changing thread sizes/hardware at the joint?

Based on some research, I'm worried about overall intonation, and what it would mean as I was trying to hit 6th and 7th positions.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Yamaha 354VC is a valve trombone in C. NO PROBLEM!

[Jimkinkella]

I worked out the dimensions once to match a 350C - because I don't like the way a stock 350C plays or sounds.
The Yamaha has length cut out of the bell taper and neckpipe, but with where I play on the tuning slide I was looking to shorten the legs on the tuning slide, and leave the bell flare alone so that it could be reused on something else if I didn't like it.
Or just have a bell with "extra" vibrato room in 1st with a regular slide.
And yes, you'd be cutting both inners and outers.
I'll see if I can find my old info.

[heinzgries]

is it possible to take a C valve trombone bell section and put a shortened, modified Bb slide on it?

[BGuttman]

is it possible to take a C valve trombone bell section and put a shortened, modified Bb slide on it?

Maybe. If the bell section has no tuning slide you may have a problem. Also, you need to make sure the slide and bell fit together.

[JohnL]

is it possible to take a C valve trombone bell section and put a shortened, modified Bb slide on it?

If whoever made the C valve trombone bell just used the same bell as a Bb instrument and did all the shortening on the "slide" section, you'd still run into trouble getting a seven-position slide. If, on the other hand, the C valve trombone was designed and built from the ground up to be keyed in C (i.e., each section of tubing proportionately shorter than a Bb instrument), it might just work.