new-to-me low brass instrument

[MartyNeilan]

After being boneless for almost 2 years, I am finally back in the bass bone business!
I just got a vintage "Tangerine" Reynolds from trombone forum legend D.J. Kennedy. Single trigger, but with the double pulls it is a beast on Low C and Low B. (Of course that means even more work on slide technique, because 6th and 7th position become mandatory instead of optional when using that tuning.)
Needs a little work, but was an outstanding deal for a solid bass. Great sound for commercial or big band playing, could probably work in a classical setting in a pinch if I think "dark."
Check out the white Kelly 1 1/2 G I am using on it!

[MartyNeilan]

Very cool.

Uh, how are the false tones? *snicker*

Where is Bob, these days?

Seriously, I tried the low C and B as false tones but can't do the George Roberts thing. Maybe with practice. There is a guy in town with a straight .525 Bach who can false tone that thing like a bass trombone all day long.
I love the sound and blow with the single trigger slides pulled all the way, as it opens up the tubes. However, I will probably use it as a standard P4 much of the time so I don't have to go out to 6th and 7th position on a constant basis. At nearly 5'7", 7th position is quite literally a stretch.
I actually have a .484/.500 Reynolds Medalist tenor I have been dinking around on for the last two years, and that has at least forced me to rethink my slide technique and get used to going all the way out. For something marketed as a student horn , that Medalist actually makes a great lead jazz trombone (too bad I am far from a lead jazz trombone player, hence its "toy" status for me.)
One of the best things for me as a developing trombone player was when I went from independent to dependent valves in college. Too many budding bass trombonists rely on the second rotor and never learn to play anything past 4th position. I eventually had my dependent setup for F / Db, so I played that horn as a single trigger except for the absolute basement.

I have seriously considered a trip out to Blokeville to have the slide action improved and a few dents pulled. However, I am deeply disappointed that he will not be buffing my bell down to nothingness.

[tbn.al]

Check out the white Kelly 1 1/2 G I am using on it!

TromMP.jpg

In a soft sweet whisper he uttered, "Close your eyes and take a trip to the dark side. A gold plated 60 is just the ticket. Bob and I love the sound. You will too."

[MartyNeilan]

In a soft sweet whisper he uttered, "Close your eyes and take a trip to the dark side. A gold plated 60 is just the ticket. Bob and I love the sound. You will too."

Not gonna happen. Waaay too big for a horn like this. This is an older designed horn, works best with smaller mouthpieces, with a 1 1/2 G being about the largest that would work to achieve the desired timbre. D.J. even had reservations about using a mouthpiece the size of a 1 1/2 G; he suggested a Bach 2G or even 3G for that horn. Anything bigger may also have an adverse affect on the pitch.

bloke "Oddly enough, there seems to be vast majority agreement that a Schilke 59 mouthpiece offers the best results for those who attempt bass trombone as a 'double'. You may try mine, if you drive down here."

I played a Schilke 59 and a Griego .75 (a hair larger than the Schilke) when I had my Getzen 1062 and was regularly making $$$ with bass trombone. I strongly agree with the Schilke being a great mouthpiece for doublers or for all around use. Anything much bigger, and you loose that "bass trombone" sound and become an infamous tuba-on-a-stick. When I got the Griego .75, I also got a .5. The .5 was just bigger enough to notice a difference in sound; A/Bing them for my trombone prof and another player pointed to the .75 as the better choice.
Bigger is not always better!

I may have a gig at the end of the month with this horn. If not, I will consider sending it off to Da Bloke some time; I saved the excellent carton it arrived in. There are probably a lot more dents that need to come out than those readily visible in the picture; it was probably an old school horn. I'm just glad to be able to have something again, and this was an outstanding deal despite the rough condition. Kinda hard to scratch up the 2-4G for something newer (especially after picking up that F tuba last year.)
I am just hurt that Bloke is not willing to spend the hours necessary to buff the bell, rotor, (and everything else for that matter) down to near nothingness - what ever happened to work ethic in this country!

[tbn.al]

and then patch the hole. _______________________________________________
*Southern Redneck Repair Technology Club

What...... spackle or duck tape?

dtduck.gif

[Kevin Hendrick]

Hmmm ... that picture looks strangely familiar ...

[MartyNeilan]

Cool!


To be honest, I liked the 60's sound, rim,... before I got my 2A. I then immediately loathed it. I sold the 2A to getg a 2C but couldn't find one, and so have been playing the 60 for the last couple of months and am getting used to it again. Kind of a bad thing, going off how much more I liked a different mouthpiece.

Bob,
If you are really sold on the 60, you should consider a Yamaha Yeo. The Yeo is basically a much-improved 60 that actually has a high range. I used one for about a year, until I decided it was just too big / too dark sounding for what I wanted.

[Tubaryan12]

and then patch the hole. _______________________________________________
*Southern Redneck Repair Technology Club

What...... spackle or duck tape?

Of course not.....Bondo!

[MartyNeilan]

This is your bass trombone:

This is your bass trombone after Bloke:

Any questions?




(more to come after TubeNet fast ends)

[tbn.al]

Al, what mp do you use on your .555 Olds and do you approach it as a tenor or bass?

I play it as a tenor with a 3G and when I use it as a bass for light orchestral stuff I use a 1 1/2G. I've tried the Schilke 57/58 but it seems to prefer the Bach mp's. It is my main tenor horn and with the 3G it plays like one. It never really feels like a bass even with a 1 1/2G in it.

Maybe I should relent and let bloke pretty up my O-99 while he un-fubars it. That is some nice looking work on that Reynolds.

[Kevin Hendrick]

In a soft sweet whisper he uttered, "Close your eyes and take a trip to the dark side. A gold plated 60 is just the ticket. Bob and I love the sound. You will too."

Not gonna happen. Waaay too big for a horn like this. This is an older designed horn, works best with smaller mouthpieces, with a 1 1/2 G being about the largest that would work to achieve the desired timbre.

Well, I guess a Loud LM-30 or Marcinkiewicz 107 would be right out, then (and a Bobo TT even more so)?

Seriously, your Kelly 1-1/2G is a good choice -- *nice* mouthpiece! I have one for euphonium and alphorn playing (along with a 5G for those times when that's more appropriate). Very solid low range, good pitch, good high range.

[Kevin Hendrick]

This is your bass trombone:

This is your bass trombone after Bloke:

Any questions?




(more to come after TubeNet fast ends)

That is one beautiful instrument, Marty! Even more so now that Joe's worked on it. Thanks for the pics!

[tubapete]

If I were you, I'd ask to get the slide back too.

[MartyNeilan]

Marty, how do you set the 2 valve slides (longer one all the way in, and use the shorter one for regular tuning?)

BOB!
Missed you, buddy

You are correct: The long one usually stays all the way in, and I pull the short one about 1/2"-5/8". This lets me play a second space C in trigger first and still be able to grab a low C at the bottom of the slide. Unlike the Getzen/Edwards, these Reynolds have a pretty long slide, similar to the vintage Conn 70h/72h's. Only tradeoff with that tuning is that trigger 1 is way too flat for low F; 6 works fine.
For a genuine low B, I pull the second slide almost all the way out. This gives me a solid low B at the very bottom of the slide, no lipping required. With this tuning I can play a second line B trigger 1st if I push the slide all the way in (slide springs are nice) and lip up a little. Low E is only available 7. I could probably also pull the shorter tuning slide some and line up low Eb in trigger 1, but then I would have my second line B only in a low 7, and I would have to reset two slides after a quick change.
While a double trigger obviously makes things easier, all the notes are still there, the horn blows and sounds great, and it is a whole lot more comfortable.