TromboneChat

I recently got a refurbished Reynolds Contempora TO-12. I LOVE playing it except the F attachment is very very uncomfortable. To actually press it all the way down I have to hold it at an angle and adjust the entire trombone position, which is obviously really inconvenient with faster songs. It also just hurts to use a lot… I play a lower part on a few songs and after practice my hand was sore and cramped. I think my hand might just be too small for it.
is it possible to replace these with the type that goes under the brace? For example I’m used to the trigger position on Bach Strad 42.
If that’s not a thing - anyone in a similar situation who found a mod that works well? Ei adding wood or padding to it?
Here’s a gif of me pressing it:
and some pictures are attached if that doesn’t work

Wow! That is a TERRIBLE lever design?? It would be fine if the bell brace was behind your thumb.

Yes, a lever could be made to better suit. The bell brace woukd also need to move, though.

Not a lot of clearance there but I’m sure a good tech could make something more ergonomic for you. Ultimately, it boils down to how much you want this particular horn to be ergonomic and how much you’re willing to pay. If you aren’t particularly set on it, it’ll possibly be cheaper to find another horn that you find more comfortable. On the other hand, if you have ~$2k to spend, you can have a Hagman conversion done to it! Somewhere in the lower end of the middle of that is probably what you’re looking at to have a tech fabricate something that’ll suit that horn specifically.

I have a Medalist that would be perfect for you. I had wanted one like yours. Too bad we can't do an exchange

Meanwhile, try building up the thickness on the lever with about 3/16 inch (about 5 mm) thickness of cork or sheet rubber. That may move the actuation point back so that the bell brace doesn't interfere as much.

BGuttman wrote: ↑Fri Mar 25, 2022 7:02 pmMeanwhile, try building up the thickness on the lever with about 3/16 inch (about 5 mm) thickness of cork or sheet rubber. That may move the actuation point back so that the bell brace doesn't interfere as much.

I was thinking of having someone solder a piece of half-round to the paddle, but Bruce's suggestion is something you can easily do yourself to see if this sort of approach will be helpful.

I had one of those briefly before donating it. I'd considered doing a lever replacement on it: I don't know _what_ they were thinking with the stock design. You had to either apply force to the narrow part of the lever, or you had to apply part of your force perpendicular to the lever travel.

The bell brace is lower on trombones that are designed to have your thumb go on top, so you probably wouldn't be able to have a trigger that goes underneath without obtaining or fabricating a different receiver piece and then repositioning the bell brace. Plus, you would have to replace or redesign the lever. Wouldn't be an easy job.

Is it any easier to use if you set up at an acute angle and play it with your left elbow out from your body so your left wrist is straight with your forearm? Looking at that lever assembly, it looks like they built it for a player using kind of a stiff marching posture with elbows out and the left hand almost in a karate-chop position, not bent back at the wrist at all.

What about moving the trigger to be activated like the 2nd trigger on a bass trombone?

This might not be as difficult a mod as you think. The trigger lever is attached to the receiver, not the bell brace. The bell brace could be moved back and a new lever with a slightly longer arm fabricated to move the actuation point about 3/8 inch (6 mm) forward. It's not gonna be cheap -- probably the better part of $300. And if it's a school owned horn DON'T!

Just put a strap around it

The picture doesn't show the rest of your hand and how it grips the horn.
It looks like the present valve lever configuration has forced you to use an awkward grip to position your hand so that only the last joint of your thumb extends forward of the bell brace to operate the valve lever. Is it possible for you to grip the horn so that the bell brace is in the "crotch" of your thumb and the entire thumb extends forward of the brace? If so, you could then solder an extension onto the existing valve lever, parallel to and below your thumb. That would allow you to operate the valve with your entire thumb instead of just the last joint of the thumb. That grip would make the valve more user-friendly and might also lessen the soreness and cramping in your hand.