TromboneChat

Hi , I have a rather lovely but early model Rath R9 with Hagmann valves .

Unfortunately it has always blown slightly flat.

The Main tuning slide is all the way in. (The F tuning slide on slightly out and the Gb slide is always long way out )

I currently use a Wick 0AL mouthpiece , which also sits quite deep into the instrument.

Q1. Will a different mouthpiece help , I did here somewhere that the instrument was designed around a Bach 2G ?

The other issue is one that its an instrument I occasionally double up on , as my main instrument is the Tuba. However playing my Euphonium doesn't cause any issues with pitch .

Happy Holidays
Regards
Michael

A 0AL is kinda big. You may find that a smaller mouthpiece will help. Especially if you are relatively new to bass trombone. Generally I like to start new players on something like a 2NAL or 1AL. Then again, if you are a tuba player, you may not need to shrink the mouthpiece.

You might want to have somebody look over the horn to see if something needs to be fixed. Sometimes a leak in a valve somewhere can cause a horn to play flat.

Anyone else played the horn? If so did they have the same issue ?

How much time are you spending on it in daily practice?

Have you tried a more middle of the road mouthpiece such as 1 1/2g or 2g ? For a prolonged time?

I had Mick build short tuning slides on my early Raths as I blew them quite flat. Post modular didn't seem to have that issue for me.

Sliding2U wrote: ↑Sat Dec 25, 2021 5:41 am Hi , I have a rather lovely but early model Rath R9 with Hagmann valves .

Unfortunately it has always blown slightly flat.

The Main tuning slide is all the way in. (The F tuning slide on slightly out and the Gb slide is always long way out )

I currently use a Wick 0AL mouthpiece , which also sits quite deep into the instrument.

Q1. Will a different mouthpiece help , I did here somewhere that the instrument was designed around a Bach 2G ?

The other issue is one that its an instrument I occasionally double up on , as my main instrument is the Tuba. However playing my Euphonium doesn't cause any issues with pitch .

Happy Holidays
Regards
Michael

Have a 2009 R9 with large bell and dual bore slide with 9L leadpipe (there are two other smaller sizes), independent Hagmanns (old design). I used a Shilke 60 with it but now a Doug Elliot LB MW113 riim, LB L cup, and L9 backbore. Main tune out 6mm (Ab at the bell), F all the way in, and Gb 1cm out.

I find it easy to bend notes low in the pedal register so I stay concious of embouchure set to hit pitch right on. I have tried a straight .562/562 slide (to help with air) which seemed to sharpen it a little bit. As I get tired I notice myself going more to the lower side of the note. So maybe embouchure set is critical.

For info on the horn email Tim Sidwell at Rath ([email protected]). He is a great guy and may have some suggestions.

For mouthpiece questions, Doug Elliot.

(Two tubas in the house here)

Blast advice is the best option in my opinion. I had the same problem and decided to cut the handslide (The stocking of the inner slide do not go all the way to the end of the outer slide). It did work on my non modular early R9, but the action of the slide was never as good as it was….

My Holton TR181 was flat. For me it was.

Before I had it cut I spent a lot of time with a tuner assessing how flat it was and how much hand slide motion created a similar pitch change. I had the tuning slide cut by that much and a hair more.

Had to remove the brace in the tuning slide crook for clearance also.

I loved those early non-modular R9s. Should've never sold mine.