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However, there are lots of nickel silver french horns, and I never see that on trumpets, trombones, or tubas. One exception was the Conn Constellation trumpet, although I don't know if that was nickel silver or nickel plate.

But the question is, if nickel silver is so good for french horns, why don't you see it on other instruments?

Hup

As a trombone player, I've never liked silver plate. I've owned a couple plated horns, and avoided playing them for two reasons: 1) my hands always turned black (especially older plated horns did not have lacquer over the plate) 2) It just looked excessively flashy - leave that to the trumpet players.

Within the trombonists that I'm familiar with, the type of silver that is actually sought after is the sterling silver bells, available only on a few models. They have a different sound/feel to play, and a more obvious difference from plating. And they are definitely heavier and more expensive than brass bells. Some trombonists also like nickel plate. The 48h Connstellation in particular a very popular trombone with a nickel plated bell.

Nickel silver is used in trombones a lot. I owned an Olds P24g which had a red brass bell, and the rest of the horn was nickel silver. I think Rath offers a nickel silver bell. Nickel silver really brightens the tone because it is so hard.

Silver plate was a finishing solution prior to "good" lacquer, although I personally prefer unlacquered brass over other finishes. Using plating for aesthetics, ego prop, or perceived tonal qualities is something I think the brass world has mainly left to the flashy high-brass or vain marching brass.

bloke wrote:

...so trombone players and horn players, seemingly, haven't bought into the four-decades-so-far silver plating craze/hype.

Not even among Her Majesty's Subjects??

the elephant wrote:DOES IT PLAY? That is the *only* consideration to be made. Does it play in a manner that pleases you? I never care if a bell has been rolled out if that bell plays well. Has it been in a traumatic car accident? WHO CARES?

The pre- and post- concert inspection committee, which can drop your musical score by up to 50 points, thus ruining a perfectly performed concert...

I care because the more I know about the horn section the more fun it is to point and chortle at them!!

I own two silverplated instruments, both purchased for the same reasons: I liked them and got good deals on them. Had the same instruments been offered in lacquer, I would have been even happier.

I now prefer raw brass - the green stains it puts on my hands helps cover up the liver spots.

Lacquer
It looks good, you can use it to 'touch up' spots after repairs, and it seals all the little nooks and crannies of any brass instrument. I sometimes like to use shellac as an under or over coat to lacquer, too.

It seems to me that the finishes are often "traditionally" b(i)ased. We tuba players have a massive variety of tubas to choose from. Being a large instrument it also stands-out, no matter what you do. Manufacturers use this to their advantage of coarse. In the beginning of the 20th Century US manufacturers of produced those lovely silver instruments with a gold wash bell. Visually breathtaking in bell-front basses.

In general silver is a standard in brass bands and many marching bands.

The 98% of the horn players I've seen play a lacquered Alex 103. Players prefer lacq in order to protect the horn a bit and delay metal thinning from hand contact.

The majority of the euphonium players (not USeuph, baritone or tenor horn) play a silver Besson Prestige or Sovereign compensating euph. Mainly used in brass bands, silver is what they want to see.
In other words, these two disciplines are very traditionally oriented in all aspects, not just finishes. (of coarse, there are exceptions).

Trumpet players seem to be into either vintage or boutique, but are rather experimental with brass, silver or whatever. When I was growing up almost every Bach or Schilke was in silver. Now? It seems to me that the boutique players often go for one of the "whatever" finishes; brown, black, gold, grey. metallic, shiny, etc etc.
Is this because trumpets are relatively cheaper????

The vast majority of tbn's are in one of 4 bore sizes (more or less). Bone players are also either "vintage" or "boutique" players. The most popular silver tbn I've seen are in the small dixi vintage straight bone department. Exceptions were mentioned above. The rest of the straight bones all seem to be 90% lacquer (unless it's showing off the a red bell). Trombones are very inexpensive compared to the other brass instruments, so why do we see so little experimentation in lacq? Who knows. It, like the horn, it is an old model with comparatively little change in design since the sackbut. One long tube with a bell and a slide.
No nonsense finish for a no nonsense design?

Tuba: we know about this.

I think if anyone is spending a large chunk of money for a music instrument that they will be looking at almost every day for hours on end it stands to reason that, given the choice and the funds, they'll put out the extra money to have it look the way they like. And seeing as it won't change the sound, why not?