Blessing B8888

[Burgerbob]

Yes, you read that right... double valve B/F/G/Eb Blessing B88.





Our very own Brad Close built this for a friend of mine (on the forum as well, but he's a strong silent type). I played it the other day and it's awesome!

The result is a horn better than the sum of the parts. I've owned a B88 in the past, and my friend played these before they were hacked apart- they're fine instruments, but nothing special. Nothing you could choose out of a lineup. This, though, has gained some magic with another valve. With a tenor piece it's a nice large tenor with the added functionality of a G valve. With a small bass piece it's a real small bass- a nice compact fat sound with a real low B and nothing really given up.

I'm thinking about having this done to my two 42Bs now...

[tmarco97]

Wow! This looks really cool! Sounds fun to play on!

[LeoInFL]

Can you swap the tuning slides to get Bb/F/Gb/D? Looks like you probably could.

[Crazy4Tbone86]

That's cool! I have a 9" Holton TR-150 bell that I planned to use for a dependent .547 bore large tenor with two valves. I figured that I didn't want to mess with the gooseneck taper because it could change some characteristics of the large-bore tenor sound. If you say this kind of set-up works.....maybe I should think about making it a independent design?

[soseggnchips]

That's very cool! Does the owner get fed up of having to explain to people it's not a bass though?

[JohnL]

It looks like Brad had to rework the F wrap; I'm surprised he didn't make it an open wrap while he was at it, unless the owner wanted to keep it compact.

[Burgerbob]

Can you swap the tuning slides to get Bb/F/Gb/D? Looks like you probably could.

Yes!

It looks like Brad had to rework the F wrap; I'm surprised he didn't make it an open wrap while he was at it, unless the owner wanted to keep it compact.

See above- Also, that means sourcing a crook. Much easier to just use the tuning slides as built. With valves like this, an open wrap isn't going to make THAT much of a difference.

[IdoMeshulam]

Can you swap the tuning slides to get Bb/F/Gb/D? Looks like you probably could.

Yes! Swapping the slides gives you a solid Gb/D tuning with some room for adjustment. If you pull the G slide all the way out you can get close to Bollinger tuning. I just like G/Eb too much!

That's very cool! Does the owner get fed up of having to explain to people it's not a bass though?

Lol, I’d say not yet, I’ve only had it for about a couple of weeks and still haven’t had a chance to use it out in the real world but I usually don’t mind questions about my gear.

It looks like Brad had to rework the F wrap; I'm surprised he didn't make it an open wrap while he was at it, unless the owner wanted to keep it compact.

Yes, I did ask for that specific design for the F attachment. Brad actually wanted to make it an open wrap (according to him, no additional parts are required) but I wanted it to be pit friendly. I’m also not a big fan of open wrap designs, they tend to take up a lot of space behind the player and don’t really improve anything as far as how it plays. Brad of course did an amazing job and it turned out absolutely great!

[Finetales]

I'm thinking about having this done to my two 42Bs now...

I can be the devil on your shoulder encouraging you to do it if you'd like. Actually, I'll do that even if you wouldn't like.

[brassmedic]

Thanks for the kind words. I think it ended up not needing any added parts except the new finger lever, linkage, and a small brace. The rest is all parts from 2 tenor trombones. The challenge is cutting the parts in the right places.

[Crazy4Tbone86]

Brad.....how did you make the gooseneck? Did you modify the original or start from scratch?

[brassmedic]

Brad.....how did you make the gooseneck? Did you modify the original or start from scratch?

I just cut it shorter.

[NBischoff]

I'm thinking about having this done to my two 42Bs now...

[spencercarran]

Can you swap the tuning slides to get Bb/F/Gb/D? Looks like you probably could.

Yes!

That's got to be the best 2 valve configuration, IMO. Maximum flexibility in tuning options without any extra parts to keep track of, plus the super compact setup.

[BGuttman]

There is a difference in what you need to do with a 2 valve Bass versus a 2 valve Tenor. The G valve makes operating the tenor in the bass staff much better. There have been several threads about the value of a G attachment both here and on the old Trombone Forum. The downside for this is that 2 valve C and B are far out on the slide, but a tenor player rarely needs either of these notes. On the other hand, the bass often needs the C and B and a Bb/F/Gb/D Indie works better for the bass.

Having 2 valves, one in F and one in G, makes good sense on a Tenor since there are some passages that work better on an F valve and others that work better on a G valve.

[Matt K]

I love my bass with this setup, although I have a Gb valve in event of many B naturals on a gig.

I also built a dependent tenor that I kick myself for making dependent rather than independent. I thought I'd rarely use it and would rather have more taper in the neckpipe. Incidentally, I'd be willing to part with that valve; fully Shires compatible. Bb/F/D Makes playing things like Cello suites a lot easier although if I were going to do that now, I'd just use my bass... maybe with the tenor slide so that horn gets no love these days!!