Fitting Neotech grip to a double trigger bass trombone?

[sirisobhakya]

I recently bought a secondhand bass trombone (YBL-612) from an auction site and donated it to my former school. I also bought a secondhand Neotech grip to fit with it, because the bass trombonist at this time is a grade-10 girl and she is not that muscular (her current horn is an unbelievably-badly-beaten Bach 50B), and the YBL-612 is heavier than I expected.

But when I tried installing it, it gets in the way of the finger paddle (the horn is modified from thumb roller to paddle).

Are there any way to fix this? Or should I just accept my defeat and install it to another horn? (Another student is complaining that his horn digs into his hand.)

[tctb]

As the grip is plastic it can easily be remodeled to fit most trombones . I would suggest that you check to see if cutting away at a piece of the grip will allow it to work. They are cheap enough to take a risk.

[hyperbolica]

I have one of these grips, and tried to use it with a couple of bass bones. It pushes the hand far enough away from the braces that I was unable to reach the second lever properly with my medium sized hands. Your student may have a similar problem. The Sheridan has worked for me, with some modification, on singles and doubles, and has been very comfortable.

[Matt K]

Have you played around with the configuration of the Neotech at all? If you unscrew it you can change both the angle and the depth of where it is located. (This is talking about the part that has the neoprene hand strap, not the base that clamps onto the slide).

Or are you talking about the plastic clamp getting in the way of the Gb paddle? If so, that's a relatively easy fix and just involves bending it away from the paddle. My tech did this with his bare hands a few years ago, but cautioned me to "not do that at home". That gives you the advantage of the aid and will probably put the paddle in a more ergonomic location anyway.

[Burgerbob]

The Gb paddle also may be on the wrong place, if it is so close to the lower cork barrel. It's not out of reason to just bend it to a new place.

[sirisobhakya]

Thank you for the replies! The problem is the plastic part, but the finger paddle is indeed quite near the cork barrel. I may have a tech modify it when I have time. (It is comfortably usable, but with an altered hand position.)

[Backbone]

Check your bell to slide angle. If it is too close then it will hit. But also taking your horn to a tech for an adjustment of the finger paddle will help as well.

[Carolus]

Reaching the second trigger is a real issue with the Neotech on a bass. I had the same issue Hyperbolica mentioned and I am adult with medium sized hands. The suggested Sheridan should work or a leather strap like the Yamaha one...

[peteedwards]

I use Neotech on both my basses & love it. The idea that you must contort your hand to reach the triggers is backwards. You should have the triggers adjusted to fit you, no matter what you use as a grip aid.

[Backbone]

I use Neotech on both my basses & love it. The idea that you must contort your hand to reach the triggers is backwards. You should have the triggers adjusted to fit you, no matter what you use as a grip aid.

This is what my tech told me when I had issues with holding a King 7B. I told him that it sounded great but I hated how it felt in my hand. He told me that if I like the horn then I can have the paddles adjusted fit me.

-- I also use the Neotech grip on my Holton 181 and I agree... it is awesome! Very comfy.

[Tooloud]

I've had it on my bass. Good idea, but caused trouble. The left hand is very far away from the second trigger. And the velcro straps snapped open in the very baddest moments making playing impossible for at least one bar.
Crap!
Replaced it with a handrest and a thumrest (both!). Now it's ok, absolutely no weight on the right hand and very improved handling of the slide!!

[hyperbolica]

I use Neotech on both my basses & love it. The idea that you must contort your hand to reach the triggers is backwards. You should have the triggers adjusted to fit you, no matter what you use as a grip aid.

Yeah, but the idea that you have to adjust the paddles of a $4-7000 horn to fit a $25 plastic grip gets your priorities upside down. I now use a grip that needed some customization to fit the horn, but the paddles don't need any adjustment. Plus, if to fit the grip, the paddle has to be so close to the horn that it can't move, just get a better fitting grip. They are comparatively cheap, removable, and replaceable.

[Backbone]

I use Neotech on both my basses & love it. The idea that you must contort your hand to reach the triggers is backwards. You should have the triggers adjusted to fit you, no matter what you use as a grip aid.

Yeah, but the idea that you have to adjust the paddles of a $4-7000 horn to fit a $25 plastic grip gets your priorities upside down. I now use a grip that needed some customization to fit the horn, but the paddles don't need any adjustment. Plus, if to fit the grip, the paddle has to be so close to the horn that it can't move, just get a better fitting grip. They are comparatively cheap, removable, and replaceable.

But what if the grip is the most comfortable? Really takes the weight of the horn off the fingers? Feels great? Maybe an adjustment to the triggers would be next in line for mods. This being said if my priorities are about comfort rather than cost.

I imagined that the OP has the same issue I had with the Neotech: The paddle hit the plastic piece at the brace. It really was a super minor adjustment to the paddle arm to fix the issue. The grip is adjustable in so many ways. It is just a matter of playing with it until it works.

I consider myself to have medium hands and I am able to reach the Gb trigger with no problems. But, I did have to make some adjustments to the trigger arm. This is on a TR-181 with my hands. None of this is one size fits all.

But you have a valid point. It just might be that the Neotech is not for the OP. Maybe trying another grip will solve his problem.

[hyperbolica]

Yeah, I agree. No reason to fixate on one grip with so many different styles available. I tried 3 before settling on one. The Sheridan works on multiple horns and is easy to remove. Every body likes something different.