186 With Detachable Bell

[Voisi1ev]

Hello Tubeneters,

I lurked on here back in college, glad to see things are still rolling along.

My school recently acquired a detachable bell Miraphone 186 that came with the straight and recording bells. Just curious if these were popular, or just a random trend in the past. It is a neat little horn.

[ronr]

Fwiw I bought one about 25 years ago. Mine was built in 1970. It's a great horn and I play it regularly. Must say it's the only one I know of, though.

[iiipopes]

I used to have the detachable bell stack on my 186. They do play great. I just wanted a different tone color, so I changed out the bells. A bowl mouthpiece worked better for me for the recording bell for projection, and a Helleberg type cup worked better for me for the upright for a broader tone. YMMV.