Bach 36B vs BO vs CO?

[papaslides]

Hi all,

I’m in the market for a Bach 36 trigger horn. I know everyone has strong opinions about medium bore tenors, but what I’m most curious about is peoples opinions on the different models. I’m used to playing open wrap, does it make enough of a difference to justify the extra price? (I’m shopping used) Also I came across a very nice looking 36CO for $1,600 which seems kind of high but it’s a very good looking horn, and who knows, the ability to switch to a straight setup for some gigs could be fun.

Thoughts?

[Elow]

I prefer closed wrap over an open wrap. They don’t play too differently, most of it is because of the changed bracing. The bach style open wraps are just way too inconvenient to use, they go so far behind you, if you’re in a tight area then you’re bound to hit it on every thing behind you, which could be a trumpet player. Personally, i wouldn’t get an open wrap, especially if you would pay extra. Noah gladstone has an edwards .525 with thayer for $1900 i think, but not sure. So that’s another option

[BGuttman]

The CO has an advantage over my C. With the traditional wrap the brace for the straight gooseneck is too close to the tuning slide brace and thus you can't put on the counterweight.

I've found that I tend to use my 36C with the attachment in all the time, but maybe you would want to play the straight version from time to time.

[Burgerbob]

I've had B, BO, and K. I think I'd prefer a closed wrap with a good valve, all things considered. E pull and much more compact.

[ithinknot]

I think I'd prefer a closed wrap with a good valve, all things considered. E pull and much more compact.

Same here. Classic looks, E pull. I suspect the open wraps were more of a response to consumer fashion post-Thayer than a straightforward R&D improvement. Also, the valve port orientation on the BO puts the air through a tight and uneven 180° turn, which can only undo some of the minor airflow change brought by the open wrap.

The counterweight issue Bruce mentions re the C is worth considering, but it's also not too big a deal to drill a tuning slide brace to attach a cantilevered weight if this proved necessary.

(I know it really doesn't matter, but I find the 36/42 BO wraps so unnecessarily ugly, especially now that they make the single radius, matching width F crook used on the A/AF/OF/47 ... Not as bad as the 50BO and B2O, which suggest Bach was collecting payola from the nation's dent repair techs.)

[papaslides]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone.

Another question. Does a 36B have a wider hand slide than say a 3B/F or about the same? (I saw the thread on slide widths but 2 different measurements were given for the 36, I am familiar with a 3B slide so I figure the easiest way is to ask for a comparison)

[Elow]

Pretty sure a 36 is a little bit wider

[Burgerbob]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone.

Another question. Does a 36B have a wider hand slide than say a 3B/F or about the same? (I saw the thread on slide widths but 2 different measurements were given for the 36, I am familiar with a 3B slide so I figure the easiest way is to ask for a comparison)

Yup, kind of halfway between 3B and 42 width.

[Thrawn22]

I like the CO for the sake of maintenance.

[hyperbolica]

The one real advantage of the open wrap is that it doesn't trap as much water. So if you plan to play bass parts on your 36 or otherwise have the trigger engaged most of the time, or you're playing outdoors in Florida, you might have to worry about filling the F wrap with water. The more compact profile of the traditional wrap is a big convenience. I owned a 36c for a short time, and I didn't really take advantage of the convertible aspect, plus I found it was less mechanically stable than the fixed configuration.

[rdalton]

I have a 36B from the mid 70s that I had converted to a 36C using a stock straight gooseneck (the tech made everything fit). To solve the counterweight issue I had him install it on the brace of the straight gooseneck. I often play with the tuning slide all the way in - I turn the counterweight to pull the slide in. I pull the slide back out a bit and turn the weight back to put the horn in the case.

[andym]

I have a 36B that was converted to convertible and it is really good as a trigger horn and fantastic as a straight horn. So, I like the convertible aspect. Whether that works out for others depends on the details of the horns and may not be the same as my customized horn.