TromboneChat

A sad, sad tale of a man and his new amazing horn...

I owned an Edwards with a 369CF soldiered bell that was incredibly penetrating. I got it from a buddy who selected it and picked it up at Edwards shop. It was a custom matched bell and slide section, a gigantic Dual bore tenor job (547/562). I started playing it full-time while I was having my 88H rebuilt/refurbished, and man was it something. But, the bell section tuning slide was way too soft to pull. Something I noted but then quickly forgot about.

Anyway, after a month or so, one day I was taking the horn out of the case a couple of hours before an orchestra rehearsal (I would show up at the hall to practice a couple hours before rehearsals) and was holding the bell section by the tuning slide, when I heard this strange muffled whistling sound. I stopped, and looked around, huh... well about 5 seconds later the tuning slide popped all the way out and the bell section, F-Valve and all, went straight down onto a hard floor covered with thin carpet. Crunch! The bell was toast, and it was custom made for my friend while actually touring the Edwards shop, for that specific horn. Tragic. Had it repaired but it never played the same. Bought a 325CF to replace it, it was amazing but it wasn't like that original laser beam bell. I have never seen anything like it since actually.

In the 40 years I’ve been playing trombone I’ve never, ever, held my bell section by the tuning slide. Anyone else? Sorry for your loss.

That is too bad - tuning slides are built to move, however.

JS

lol... Well, was along time ago. That tuning slide was on the extreme side of loose. It may have been the F-Slide. Anyway... I certainly never held one that way again.

To be honest, it was beautiful playing horn, but I never really was that fond of the dual bore slide. It really just made everything harder and really no gain. It is too big, putting the horn between a large tenor and bass, and frankly I never liked that 'being in the middle' in-between size thing. Except in a Mahler section where there are 3 parts, and a bass. There it is suitable for 3rd I think. Other than that, for regular 2nd work I disagree with it's usefulness personally. Straight .547 is plenty big enough for tenor/2nd, and the 547-562 is too small for bass.

Now I’m so confused. Oh well. Back to practicing.

A few years ago, I was trying to take a photo of a 42b I once had, and with all I was attempting to handle (iPhone, bell section, f’ing sunlight), I inadvertently picked the bell section up by the tuning slide…ONE TIME ONLY in more than 50 years of trombone playing.

Ya know what happened? I ended up with a wrinkle in the bell just like you. I got over it, eventually, I guess. Jury is still out on that.

But there is lesson, things happen, and when they do, you anticipate possible similar scenarios. I recently sold an expensive case because it wouldn't lay flat and wanted to close itself while I was attempting to place my 50b inside…if I need three hands to keep things safe, then the case has to go. I don’t need a third wrinkled bell incident in my life.

As for the first time? I’ll say it happened a long long time ago, another story for another time.

Only tuning slide issue I had was with a former wise guy music leader. When I wasn’t looking the former trumpet player had a habit of pushing my slide completely in while my horn was on it’s stand. Most of the time I’d notice it, but gotta admit a time or two I figured out by the second note he had struck again! At least I never had the pull-out issue. Came close one time several years ago, I asked my trumpet playing grandson to hold the horn for me while I put the case down to get out a second horn. Looked over and guess where he was holding the horn! (What is it with trumpet players?) No harm, bumper was already on the carpet when he took it. Pointed out the danger of what he did, he’s never done it since.