Score! (Martin Mammoth Discussion)

[SousaWarrior9]

Looks interesting!

Do the two bells have the same pitch? Or do you have to pull the tuning slide for one of them?

Relating to one of the above postings:

Will the Wessex upright bell also fit into the collar of your Conn 20J?

If so, how much does the pitch differ between the two bells?

My interest comes from a wish for an upright bell for my Conn 40K, which sits stationary in a Wenger chair. The upright bell would make it easier to mute the 40K. And then I here make the assumption that the 20J and the 40K have the same collar dimensions, even if the 40K is from 1927.

Klaus

I haven't noticed any significant pitch differences between the two bells.

Regarding the 20J bell question: the bell collars on the mammoth are not the same as the 20J. The 20J collar is smaller than the mammoth.
A 20J bell does fit on a 20K sousaphone, however. I'm not sure if the 40K has the same diameter bell collar as a 20K but if it does, a 20J upright bell will fit it.

[SousaWarrior9]

How tall is the MArtin with the Wessex bell?

Thanks.

Just shy of 40" tall, I believe.

[SousaWarrior9]

UPDATE:

Suitable bits have been found for both my and my friend's Martin, thanks to Lee Stofer.
Lee took the original bit that came with each horn, along with a York bit for the other Mammoth, and a Selmer bit for my horn, and shaped them on a mandrel for an air tight fit. Now, the bits or both horns lock into place with no movement whatsoever. The way the bits were previously, there was a minuscule amount of air leaking out between the bits, which has now been remedied. In addition to that, Lee also found that the water keys on both horns had been improperly repaired at some point, and were bent in such a way that the pad was not resting evenly on the nipple of the water key, so, again, a small bit of air was leaking here as well. With both of these air leak problems fixed, both horns now play with a much more punchy tone with significantly less 'fuzzyness'. Its amazing how such seemingly small repairs make such a difference in how a horn plays.
Lee also took the liberty of knocking out some of the larger dents in the outer bows of the horn, as well as buffing out some tarnish that had accumulated on the main tuning slide crook.

All in all, both horns now look and sound a whole lot better thanks to some quick minor repairs. Always consistently impressed with Lee's work and just wanted to give him another shutout for the work that he does, as well as updating Martin enthusiasts on the status of the horns.

Pictures:

My Mammoth with original Martin bit paired with the new Selmer bit:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4BA8g ... sp=sharing" target="_blank" target="_blank

Back view of the horn with major dents removed, only minor dings remain:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4BA8 ... WV0Y2VKLUE" target="_blank" target="_blank

Tuning slide crook, with correctly bent water key, new pad, and tarnish removed:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4BA8 ... mlPem5IX1k" target="_blank" target="_blank