Leadpipes

[PhillyG]

Happy New Year Everyone,

I am a bit old fashioned and prefer a bass trombone with more resistance than is popular today. What should i be looking for if I decide to seek to replace the lead pipe. The horn is a Yamaha YBL 613.

Any input would be appreciated.

PhillyG

[Vegasbound]

Another Yamaha 613 leadpipe

Why do you want to change? What is it you hope to achieve by changing just the pipe?

[GabrielRice]

The Brass Ark MV50 is an excellent pipe fitting that description.

[Bach5G]

R Partch, legend brass repairman in Toronto, told me recently that his best selling lead pipe was an M/K Roberts. A Toronto bass trombonist who had a nice collection of pipes preferred the M/K (in a Yamaha bass) as well. B Hanson spoke very highly of it when it was first out.

Brass Ark has a bunch of pipes. Noah has an impressive list of endorsements on his lead pipe page. I have one in a Bach 16 slide that is excellent. You might send him an email.

I don’t recall many Yamaha players being dissatisfied with the leadpipes in their horns.

[paulyg]

While the MK GR pipe is a great pipe, it would not meet your described requirements- it is very open.

Any of the Bach 50 pipe copies should do.

[jjenkins]

I agree with Gabe and Paul, based on my personal experience with the 613H (a very fine bass inspired by the Bach 50B3O) -- a Bach MV50 leadpipe copy will help you to achieve the sound and/or feel you seek.

[Bach5G]

Interestingly - or not - I just had a look at the lead pipe in my current model Yam 620G. It’s long: 11”. It looks to me like a very open venturi, quite close to the proximal end, with a long, slow, barely perceptible taper. I bet the pipe in your 613 is similar. Yam might be able to tell you.

I keep my various lead pipes in a box. I’ve had a bunch over the years. This is the first pipe that doesn’t fit. Too long. Very much an outlier based on my experience.

I recall a thread on the OTJ or maybe even the Trombone-L that discussed S Shires and G Greenhoe experimenting with lead pipes and concluding that ~ 9” was an optimal length. This would have been in the late 80s/early 90s when both were involved in designing the early Edwards modular horns. (I’m going from memory of a post from the mid-90s - I may not be entirely accurate). Of course, there are a lot of parameters other than length.

I wonder: were the vintage pipes the pipes players had Herrick and Minick replace? A Minick pipe was a noticeable improvement over stock in an Elkhart 62H I used to have.

[WGWTR180]

The Brass Ark MV50 is an excellent pipe fitting that description.

I've been looking for one of these.