Owners of old german trombones - need your help

[SwissTbone]

Any owners of old German trombones out there?

I'd need to see some examples of the string activating the valve. Would like to see the design of it and - if possible - I would also know how long it is on your horn.

Thanks!

[marccromme]

All I have seen and tried had just a string and a leather strip to put you thumb into. This design is annoying, as it is hard to take the trombone up with you left hand only, you always fumble to get the thumb position right. Better to get a trigger lever installed, that is easier to use.

[SwissTbone]

All I have seen and tried had just a string and a leather strip to put you thumb into. This design is annoying, as it is hard to take the trombone up with you left hand only, you always fumble to get the thumb position right. Better to get a trigger lever installed, that is easier to use.

Yes. I know. It's certainly not an ideal design. I just need to see some examples so I can modify a horn I have with something that looks more original than the simple piece of twine there is now.

I'm also curious about the length as what I have now is more than unergonomic.

[EdwardSolomon]

Does this help?

[BGuttman]

Ed, I think it would help more if you straightened out the chain/string between the valve and the thumb thong.

Sure is a nice looking trombone, though!

[MStarke]

I got a Kruspe from first half of the last century a few days ago. Great instrument!

Unluckily until now there is only a simple string, so more or less the same issue that you have. However I have in the past also only seen the string + leather combination. Length is probably up to you.
I will keep you posted if I find a good working solution.

Most certainly I will NOT replace it with a modern mechanical linkage.

[SwissTbone]

I got a Kruspe from first half of the last century a few days ago. Great instrument!

Unluckily until now there is only a simple string, so more or less the same issue that you have. However I have in the past also only seen the string + leather combination. Length is probably up to you.
I will keep you posted if I find a good working solution.

Most certainly I will NOT replace it with a modern mechanical linkage.

Looks like we are pretty much in the same boat

[EdwardSolomon]

Ed, I think it would help more if you straightened out the chain/string between the valve and the thumb thong.

Sure is a nice looking trombone, though!

Makes no difference if I do that. You have to measure the length of the cord for the individual, to ensure it is comfortable. Add a little extra for tying the cord to the valve. This isn't complicated to do.

[FOSSIL]

Ed, I think it would help more if you straightened out the chain/string between the valve and the thumb thong.

Sure is a nice looking trombone, though!

Makes no difference if I do that. You have to measure the length of the cord for the individual, to ensure it is comfortable. Add a little extra for tying the cord to the valve. This isn't complicated to do.

Your Piering valve mechanism is different to any other that I have seen, Ed...so possibly not useful. The Piering I have here at home has a clock spring in the valve backplate and a small ring on the backplate to allow a cord to thread in....the cord is very short and attached to a leather loop which is sown together for 2/3rds of it's length. It is very comfortable, but I doubt it is original.
Chris

[LeTromboniste]

When I got mine the string+thong were missing. Needed a quick fix so I got a piece of heavy fabric, made a flat roll to have 3 or 4 layers so it would be thick and somewhat stiff, sewed it together, burnt the edges to lose the loose strands, punched a hole near each end and installed metal eyelet, then got a round and somewhat stiff shoelace. For assembly I found that the easiest way to get the right length of string and have it be adjustable for the future was this: I first passed the shoe-lace through the hole on the valve spindle twice, making a full turn and a half around the ring rather than just passing straight through. Then through the eyelets on the thong, adjusting the length and centering before tying the knots. I cut off the extra length but left a a little bit on one side so I can untie it and make it slightly longer or shorter if need be (especially since mine has the valve in the tuning slide. If I play a gig at 430 the valve will be a solid 5cm further back, so it had to be adjustable).

I'd had a thong and string before on a Courtois alto, and it had a very thin and floppy piece of leather, and very flexible string. It was really annoying and unwieldy, always wanting to slide down or off my thumb and move around, and hard to quickly grab the horn and pass my thumb through it without struggling for a few seconds. I also tended to partly activate the valve without noticing because I could barely feel the thong against my thumb. I find the thicker and heavier thong (either like I did or a ticker piece of leather) and stiffer shoelace really make it nicer to hold and solve all those problems.

[Crazy4Tbone86]

I had a nice Glassl years ago and never got comfortable with the "string and leather" pull lever. I redesigned it using a modern Bach lever with a ball and nylon-socket linkage. The lever rod was a bit long (I used a threaded stainless steel rod) and I decided to flip the valve around so that the stop arm side was away from my neck. If I remember correctly, I think I had to flip the cork plate as well by drilling new holes and using a tap. The lever modification worked extremely well and made playing the horn so much more enjoyable.

Ahhh....but I decided to sell it because I always thought the slide was too heavy. Upon reflection, it is definitely a "the one that got away" story. It was very sweet-playing horn. I should have known that I was making a mistake when I got an offer for the instrument higher than my asking price within the first 5 minutes that the person was playing the horn!

[harpo]

The string snapped the first time I used it, and I haven't got round to replacing it yet.

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