Perantucci mpc taper?

[ghmerrill]

I toyed briefly with the idea with of a similar approach involving the drill press, but the set-up and resulting precision deterred me. However, I might try that with a plastic Kelly mouthpiece I'm trying to get to fit my euph better.

[Dan Schultz]

..... They mill down the mouthpiece to a cylinder, sleeve it, soldering the sleeve, then re-mill the sleeve to the desired taper and tip diameter....

I've done this but recutting the taper is 'tricky'. I keep the cross slide on my lathe set at the correct angle but fixturing is always a one-off process.

Does anyone know if there is a source for ready-made sleeves that already have the American or European shank on them?

BTW.... here's a link to standard machine tapers... http://www.littlemachineshop.com/Reference/Tapers.php
Note that Jarno tapers at the same rate while Morse tapers vary a slight bit. I use Jarno taper reamers to 'slick up' the inside of distorted receivers.

[imperialbari]

And then there is the cheapest and most personally developing approach:

Adapt yourself to play in tune with this mouthpiece!

Most players have adapted their intonation automatisms to what they currently play. That may work well with the current set-up, but may actually represent a sequence of non-centered embouchure adjustments. Ideally one should be able to adjust in either direction on the fly, but that takes a strong fundament of technique plus fast ears. Most brasses can be played almost in tune. The question is whether that takes too much effort for an accomplished player.

Altering pitch-related parameters on an instrument to accommodate a player without a secure technical foundation easily could be a very bad idea. Are you going to adapt the instrument along with any fluctuation in a non-established technique?

A certain high end maker of woodwind instruments had an exclusive representation in a certain foreign capital. When wealthy amateurs tested instruments, that workshop would adapt the intonation to help out on apparently bad/skewed notes. The amateurs didn’t buy all of the altered instruments anyway. When true pro’s then tried one of these, they went furious and complained to the original maker. That shop lost that dealership.

As a sample of amateur automatisms one may only have to look at bad trombone players. They invariably play all notes in the 5th, 6th, and 7th positions too sharp as they are too lazy to make the full movement.

Always look at your own playing before you grab the hacksaw or other tools causing irreversibility.

Klaus

[ghmerrill]

And then there is the cheapest and most personally developing approach:

Adapt yourself to play in tune with this mouthpiece!
Klaus

I considered that, but it didn't seem the right way to go. I think that even after I get it back, there may be some intonation issues I may need to adapt to, but the phenomena I am facing now are these:

1. Intonation seems fine (or as fine as is reasonable to expect) across the range with my Conn 120S, Schilke Helleberg, and Kellyberg. In particular, in the middle of the staff there appear to be NO intonation problems and playing without ad hoc embouchure adjustments is comfortable.
2. The same is true with three Miraphone mouthpieces I recently spent a week with on a trial basis. I almost went for the Rose Solo, but it really doesn't compare in terms of sound to the PT-89 for me.
3. BOTH the PT-89 and a PT-65 (on trial) exhibit the same problem with flatness in the middle of the staff. (Why I don't notice this elsewhere is something of a mystery to me. Maybe I unconsciously correct for it elsewhere. Maybe it just doesn't happen. But from A through E, there are definite intonation issues for me with both of these.)
4. I CAN adjust to play the problematic notes in tune -- but just barely and it requires what I regard as rather significant embouchure adjustment. It is also tricky to keep it centered when doing this. This is not a situation I would like to live with on a long-term basis. In addition, it seems a bad habit to develop if I will potentially be using two mouthpieces for different effects.

So while some adjustment will likely always have to be made for any brass instrument/mouthpiece combination, I'd like to minimize that. Also, the PTs just look a little funny hanging so far out of the receiver.

[ghmerrill]

[quote="iiipopes"
BTW.... here's a link to standard machine tapers... http://www.littlemachineshop.com/Reference/Tapers.php
Note that Jarno tapers at the same rate while Morse tapers vary a slight bit. I use Jarno taper reamers to 'slick up' the inside of distorted receivers.

So suppose -- just hypothetically, you understand -- that a person wanted to ream a receiver to accept a Shilke bass trombone shank, where would the person get a reamer for that purpose?

And if it turned out that the operation resulted in decreasing receiver wall thickness by, say, about .035", would that result in too thin a receiver wall? Hypothetically.

[Dan Schultz]

.... So suppose -- just hypothetically, you understand -- that a person wanted to ream a receiver to accept a Shilke bass trombone shank, where would the person get a reamer for that purpose?

A bass trombone shank is generally the same as a small tuba shank.

And if it turned out that the operation resulted in decreasing receiver wall thickness by, say, about .035", would that result in too thin a receiver wall? Hypothetically.

I've been known to use a Jarno #5 to enlarge a small tuba receiver to a regular receiver. I can't advise you on which reamer to purchase. You'll need to just take a look at what you want to get to from what size. Any industrial cutting tool supplier should be able to get what you want.

Of course... you can't do much with the European leadpipes that don't have a soldered-on receiver. But I would think a difference of .035" wouldn't destroy a real receiver. A word of caution though... it's usually better to remove the receiver from the leadpipe in order to avoid doing any damage to the leadpipe.

If you can determine exactly what you need... Ferree's Tools in Battle Creek will make any size reamer you want. You just have to be specific.