Bach 42 and high Ab

[rmb796]

Hi everyone,
I am playing a Bach 42G* with a standard 42 LT slide. I love everything about the horn except the high Ab in third position is "squirrely" (the note wants to crack and inconsistent )
All other notes are fine up to high Eb.
I was wondering if there is any way to fix this. A different lead pipe. How far the mouthpiece enters the leadpipe?
I have tried wrapping velcro etc. around the bell but to no avail.
Any ideas? I have a 42 straight horn with a corporation Bell and the Ab's come out fine.
Thanks
Randy

[BGuttman]

Have you tried swapping slides between the 42 and the 42B? If the problem moves with the slide, that usually points to the leadpipe.

[MrHCinDE]

You could check the valve alignment, it needs to be pretty much perfect.

As well as Bruce’s suggestion about the slide, you could try swapping tuning slides.

If that doesn’t help, maybe give to your trusted tech to check for any assembly issues.

[CalgaryTbone]

That note can be a challenge on a lot of .547 horns - particularly some of the older Bachs and Conns. I've encountered that myself, but as suggested, a different slide/leadpipe or tuning slide might make a difference. You may find that a change like that, however, can alter other things in sound or response that are not as optimal as they are on the current setup that you are playing. On a couple of older Conns I used to play, I just learned that there was a "spot" for that note and got used to being a little bit careful on entrances on an A flat. My current horn doesn't have that issue, and I will confess that I enjoy getting rid of the extra care I used to have to take.

Jim Scott

[MrKirk]

Just in general 4th and 5th notes will be slightly off positions. For example G4 on my 42bofg is either a sharp 2nd or a sharp 4th before the tone locks in. Just play through your notes and figure out what your particular horn likes. Once you know what it likes you can then practice/train yourself to lock in those notes. Nothing wrong with the horn as its normal, but different brands of horn will slot differently. A good example is my Bach vs my Adams with G4, the Bach doesnt give much fuss on locking in however my Adams is very precise with regards to the slide position. Best way I can describe it is the Bach locks in or achieves the note easier.

[Kbiggs]

A-flat has been a problem with many trombones, like Jim Scott said. I believe it’s more common with large-bore American-style trombones than, say, traditional German-style trombones.

If you don’t want to or can’t pull the leadpipe—remember that you’re changing the entire instrument, not just the leadpipe—you can try wrapping plumber’s tape around the end of the mouthpiece. Sometimes, if the mouthpiece sticks out just a wee bit further, it can help with response issues. Much more often, though, people find that machining the shank down very slightly helps much more. You can then add plumber’s tape to adjust the depth.

If you find that adjusting the mouthpiece depth ever so slightly really helps, then you could get your mouthpiece(s) machined for Reeves Sleeves.

[Crazy4Tbone86]

I was talking shop with another trombone player about that A-flat at a gig a few months ago. The A-flat was finicky on his Getzen 4047. He had a unique solution. He said that his A-flat locks in very solid about 15 cents sharp. So he usually articulates the pitch with his slide intentionally “in” the slightest bit to start the note and then quickly shifts the slide out to be in tune. He demonstrated it for me and he sounded great. Then again, he probably perfected that technique over many years.

I asked him what he did for excerpts that have repetitive A-flats…..like Tchaikovsky’s 4th? He said he normally did his “move the slide in” thing on the first note, shifted it out and left it in proper place for the following A-flats. For him, it was always the first A-flat that was problematic.

[Pezza]

Have you tried the Ab in 5th?
I often play Bb in 3rd then use 5th for the Ab rather than dropping a harmonic!

[CalgaryTbone]

Have you tried the Ab in 5th?
I often play Bb in 3rd then use 5th for the Ab rather than dropping a harmonic!

I had a Yamaha alto on loan to me from a colleague that had the same problem with the high D flat (the corresponding note on an E flat instrument). It had a good D flat in 5th, but that was kind of a scary option on an alto trombone! I did play a couple of D flats in 5th on the Mozart Requiem Kyrie.

Jim Scott

[WGWTR180]

Have that same problem on my 88H. LOL

[tbonesullivan]

Have that same problem on my 88H. LOL

I seem to recall quite a few Elkart 88H trombones for sale that had "good high Ab/G#" as a selling point, as apparently they were also known for that note often giving people trouble.