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I received my Wurzbach "Bb" single French horn by carrier, and discovered the thing is pitched nearly in A, not Bb. The horn plays 40 to 50 cents flat. The horn is fairly well made and sounds surprisingly good, so I don't want to return it. How much would I have to trim off the main tuning slide receivers to bring this instrument up to the nominal pitch of Bb? (I'm thinking perhaps 1/2" off each side of the tuning slide?) Expert advice from the several excellent craftsmen on this board would be appreciated.

I got this instrument on sale-----no shipping charge, no state tax, and 10% off the already very low price. So, it wont be a financial disaster if my hacksaw work is a bit rough.
Ace

bloke wrote:Remove a total of 3-1/2" or so from somewhere (or portions of c. 3-1/2" from a couple of "somewhere's"). That amount shouldn't be too much, and might not be quite enough. If you shorten the main slide, remove 1-3/4" from each side. *Think three times. Cut once. If you want to be a bit daring, increase that to a total of 4".


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*Cutting off tubing doesn't NECESSARILY allow an instrument to be shorter. Carefully consider the mechanics and cause/effects of what you do.

Thanks, Joe. Very nice of you to respond. I don't know how I got the 1/2" idea. Duh. I just now measured the distance of slide movement on my bass trombone to get from 1st position (Bb) to 2nd position (A). (Counting both sides, the length added was close to 3 3/4".) I'll start the French horn cuts at 1 1/2" off each side of the tuning slide sleeves, then more if necessary.

Ace