Sources of tuning slide tubing?

[ghmerrill]

I'm just mulling over a couple of possibilities ...

Suppose I wanted to lengthen one or two tuning slides on a bass trombone. Figure 0.562"-ish ID, 0.606"-ish OD for inner slide legs.

What are possible sources for just a short length of such tubing? New or used, I don't care; but I don't want to have to acquire some "parts" instrument just to get a couple of pieces of tube. I've been searching on the web and have what may be a couple of possibilities, but I'd like to see if anyone has a specific recommendations or experience for getting stuff like this.

[bitbckt]

M/K Drawing, maybe?

[ithinknot]

https://mouthpieceexpress.com/catalog/i ... =2a&page=2

[ghmerrill]

M/K site isn't very encouraging. They seem to make just a few brand-specific parts -- unless you want to pay for a custom part. The most encouraging I've found is (not surprising) Votaw, which offers small quantities of inexpensive brass tubing in a broad variety of (nesting!) sizes specific for instrument slides. This may be the best possibility, but I'm curious if someone knows of any other alternatives. I haven't looked at Allied, but I'm not sure they'd currently sell to me. Ferree's doesn't seem to have anything useful, and what they have is outrageously priced (at least for what I want to do). Smith used to carry it, but doesn't seem to any longer.

[ghmerrill]

https://mouthpieceexpress.com/catalog/i ... =2a&page=2

I knew I saw something like this. Just couldn't remember. On the other hand, that's from the "custom shop" and they want $6.00/inch, and when I go to their order page, it doesn't work. Can't make any selection or add to the cart. I guess they want you to call them?

But at that price, I might stick with Votaw as "close enough".

[AtomicClock]

$6.00/inch

I always thought it would be a good idea to have an Eb crook for my F attachment. But that's over $250, just in parts. Oh, well.

[ithinknot]

https://mouthpieceexpress.com/catalog/i ... =2a&page=2

I knew I saw something like this. Just couldn't remember. On the other hand, that's from the "custom shop" and they want $6.00/inch, and when I go to their order page, it doesn't work. Can't make any selection or add to the cart. I guess they want you to call them?

But at that price, I might stick with Votaw as "close enough".

Well, that's not exactly how their pricing works, but in any case there aren't many other consumer outlets for this stuff (especially nickel silver, which is expensive period) and they can charge what they like.

Just so you know, what Votaw is selling is the K&S tube available from many hobby retailers. Nothing wrong with buying from them, of course, but you might also be able to find it locally.

If you have a local tech amenable to this sort of thing, they might let you into the extremely secret and mysterious world of the Allied catalog.

[ghmerrill]

Just so you know, what Votaw is selling is the K&S tube available from many hobby retailers. Nothing wrong with buying from them, of course, but you might also be able to find it locally.

Almost certainly not around here -- unless Hobby Lobby has it.

If you have a local tech amenable to this sort of thing, they might let you into the extremely secret and mysterious world of the Allied catalog.

Thanks, but I've been there. In fact, I just took the trouble to see if my old Allied login still works -- and (shockingly) it does. Alas, Allied has still not managed to enter the 20th [sic] century in terms of its catalog -- not to mention the 21st. They simply PDF'd their entire catalog in the crudest way possible and plopped it online. I took a couple of pokes at it, but it's unchanged from the last time I looked. Life's too short.

[Blabberbucket]

Thanks, but I've been there. In fact, I just took the trouble to see if my old Allied login still works -- and (shockingly) it does. Alas, Allied has still not managed to enter the 20th [sic] century in terms of its catalog -- not to mention the 21st. They simply PDF'd their entire catalog in the crudest way possible and plopped it online. I took a couple of pokes at it, but it's unchanged from the last time I looked. Life's too short.

Page 79 is dedicated to matched tuning slide tubing...

[ghmerrill]

Thanks. At the moment I have a line on getting the whole slide that I can cut down as necessary. It would be nice not to have to make a one-way commitment on this sort of change, but be able to go back to the original set-up if desired. Without trying things out, I'm of course not at all sure about which I'd really prefer.

[elmsandr]

Get new outers and enough inners and crooks to make swappable crooks. Material is cost effective, and the extra work isn’t that hard when you’re already in there.

What are you at and what are you converting to?
Andy

[ghmerrill]

As it turns out, I am getting a set of replacement tuning slides (Gb and F) for the horn at quite a decent price (apparently less than it would cost to collect the individual parts, if I could get them).

As to what I'm at and converting to ... this is all currently in the fantasy stage. It may advance (though not necessarily immediately) to the experimentation stage. But here is the fantasy:

I'm thinking of two modifications. One would be to convert the Gb circuit to a Bollinger tuning -- or to something "like it." I think I might like that, but I can't tell until I can try it.

The second mod is something I've been thinking about for a couple of years: basically "swap" the F thumb trigger and the Gb (or whatever) finger trigger -- accomplishing this by leaving all the trigger mechanisms and valves as-is, but basically swapping the tubing in the tuning runs. Why do this? I think that I actually favor using the "non-F" trigger over the F one, and making that the thumb-operated one would make things a bit more comfortable for me.

I should be getting the replacement slide set shortly. So then maybe I'll get up the courage to do this in the next few months -- at least if I'm at a point where I'm willing to have the horn in pieces for the required amount of time.

[Burgerbob]

Instrument Innovations.

[ghmerrill]

Yeah, they're on my list -- if I need anything more than the extra slide set and various tubing parts I have lying around.

[ghmerrill]

It is done: Bb/Gb/F/D. Surgery was uneventful and the patient has fully recovered and seems invigorated.

Two apparent consequences:

1: (Not surprising): Balance is a bit more towards the rear. This horn was never slide heavy, but now it's definitely on the neutral balance side -- if not a bit over the line. But I find it very comfortable (with the Bullet Brace, and balance can be tuned somewhat with that if necessary; but I don't see a problem). The F slide now extends 5.5" in back of the tuning slide (2 inches further than it used to). I'm okay with that, but we'll see how anyone who ends up behind me reacts to it. It doesn't (to me) look bizarre.

2. I swear the horn is more open on the valves. I don't know why this should be true, but acoustical science is a black art. When I came in from my workshop and was just tuning it for the first time after all the soldering was done, my wife said "That sounds clearer." It just seems a bit more easy-blowing on each of the valves and the double valve notes.

With the open horn tuned to Bb, each of the valve circuits are tuned with about a 1/2" pull.