Valve Caps

trumpet520 · 11-13-2006, 05:19 PM

What do heavier valve caps do in comparison to lighter valve caps.

Deecy · 11-13-2006, 05:55 PM

They're supposed to darken the sound. I never believed that the valve caps could affect the sound until one day I placed a dime (10-cent piece) into the third valve cap. It made a significant difference in the immediacy of response and made the sound edgy.
So I placed one under the second valve cap. It added still a little more bite to the tone, so I've left it.
I think I now have 2 dimes under the third and one under the second.
First valve trials? --> Nada.

Dale Proctor · 11-13-2006, 05:56 PM

They can make a horn slot slightly better, and can deaden the sound and response slightly, but the biggest difference is that your wallet is lighter, and won't respond as well as it did.

dcstep · 11-15-2006, 01:26 PM

There's no "better" or "worse". The point is to fine tune the player/mouthpiece/trumpet system to match the player's personal preference. Adding mass, particularly at the third valve, stiffens slotting, while lowering mass makes slotting more slippery. There's some impact on tonal focus, but most of the difference is in response to the player's inputs.

Try them. Three is usually too many. I use one on the third casing of my Concept TT, but none on my other trumpets. The investment is small relative to the whole "system."

Dave

mike ansberry · 11-15-2006, 04:21 PM

The heavy caps that came with my Eclipse seem to make the slots a little "looser". I don't like the feel with my 3B playing legit stuff & jazz. When I put my Allen Vizzutti mp in and play lead, I really like the looser slots because the horn is too tight with that mouthpiece. Just my perception.

Dale Proctor · 11-15-2006, 04:40 PM

Funny with the 4 previous posts that there's no concensus on the effect these things have. Loose slotting, tight slotting, bright tone, dull tone, etc. Are they that horn/mouthpiece/player specific, or are the changes mainly just in the perception (mind) of the player?

Solar Bell · 11-15-2006, 04:48 PM

My heavy caps make my MS slot tighter, with a looser feel.

They also darken the bright high notes while really brightening up the lower register!

-cw-

frank · 11-15-2006, 04:56 PM

Interesting phenomenon: If I put the heavy valve caps of my flugel on my MR it makes the sound reaallly dark! What do you think, Chuck?

Solar Bell · 11-15-2006, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frank

Interesting phenomenon: If I put the heavy valve caps of my flugel on my MR it makes the sound reaallly dark! What do you think, Chuck?

Good question Frank!

Let's experiment even more....

Put the LIGHTWEIGHT caps from your MR on your flugelhorn....

It might make it sound like a trumpet....maybe a ZeuS!

It's worth a try!

-cw-

frank · 11-15-2006, 05:02 PM

Hmm, didn't consider this option... I'll give it a try and report back! Thanks!

11-13-2006, 05:19 PM	#1
trumpet520 Pianissimo User Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 80	Valve Caps What do heavier valve caps do in comparison to lighter valve caps.

11-13-2006, 05:55 PM	#2
Deecy Pianissimo User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: NYC Posts: 211	They're supposed to darken the sound. I never believed that the valve caps could affect the sound until one day I placed a dime (10-cent piece) into the third valve cap. It made a significant difference in the immediacy of response and made the sound edgy. So I placed one under the second valve cap. It added still a little more bite to the tone, so I've left it. I think I now have 2 dimes under the third and one under the second. First valve trials? --> Nada. __________________ Tom//

11-13-2006, 05:56 PM	#3
Dale Proctor Forte User Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Heart of Dixie Posts: 1,125	They can make a horn slot slightly better, and can deaden the sound and response slightly, but the biggest difference is that your wallet is lighter, and won't respond as well as it did. __________________ Olde Towne Brass www.otbrass.com Brass Band of Huntsville www.brassbandofhuntsville.org "Hit it hard and wish it well." - Claude Gordon

11-15-2006, 01:26 PM	#4
dcstep Mezzo Piano User Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Denver Posts: 681	There's no "better" or "worse". The point is to fine tune the player/mouthpiece/trumpet system to match the player's personal preference. Adding mass, particularly at the third valve, stiffens slotting, while lowering mass makes slotting more slippery. There's some impact on tonal focus, but most of the difference is in response to the player's inputs. Try them. Three is usually too many. I use one on the third casing of my Concept TT, but none on my other trumpets. The investment is small relative to the whole "system." Dave __________________ Schilke '60 B1 Selmer Paris -- '57 #20 K-Modified/ '03 Concept TT w/ GR66.8B2.8 '94 Lawler TL cornet w/ Sparx 2B Conn Vintage One flugel - GR66FD www.pitpops.com www.ucm-inc.com Rocky Mountain Trumpet Fest

11-15-2006, 04:21 PM	#5
mike ansberry Piano User Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Clarksville, Tennessee, USA Posts: 386	The heavy caps that came with my Eclipse seem to make the slots a little "looser". I don't like the feel with my 3B playing legit stuff & jazz. When I put my Allen Vizzutti mp in and play lead, I really like the looser slots because the horn is too tight with that mouthpiece. Just my perception. __________________ "Music is a fire in your belly that has to come out of your mouth, so you'd better put a horn in the way before someone gets hurt" (paraphrase of Bleeding Gums Murphy) Eclipse MR in scratch gold Olds Super/Ultrasonic Conn 40B Leblanc Paris large bore with Bach mouthpipe Bach 37 Olds L-12 Flugel Benge Picc Buescher Cornet made in 1914 American Standard (King?) beginner trumpet (crap) Willing to provide a good home for a stray Conn 48B or Olds Recording

11-15-2006, 04:40 PM	#6
Dale Proctor Forte User Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Heart of Dixie Posts: 1,125	Funny with the 4 previous posts that there's no concensus on the effect these things have. Loose slotting, tight slotting, bright tone, dull tone, etc. Are they *that* horn/mouthpiece/player specific, or are the changes mainly just in the perception (mind) of the player? __________________ Olde Towne Brass www.otbrass.com Brass Band of Huntsville www.brassbandofhuntsville.org "Hit it hard and wish it well." - Claude Gordon

11-15-2006, 04:48 PM	#7
Solar Bell Moderator Utimate User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Metro Detroit Posts: 5,526	My heavy caps make my MS slot tighter, with a looser feel. They also darken the bright high notes while really brightening up the lower register! -cw- __________________ Chuck Willard *The Willard of Oz* "Don't be afraid to see what you see." Ronald Reagan The average response time of a 911 call is over 4 minutes. The average speed of my 9mm is 1250 fps *When seconds count....the police are only minutes away.*

11-15-2006, 04:56 PM	#8
frank Piano User Join Date: May 2004 Location: Berlin, Germany Posts: 437	Interesting phenomenon: If I put the heavy valve caps of my flugel on my MR it makes the sound reaallly dark! What do you think, Chuck? __________________

11-15-2006, 05:02 PM	#10
frank Piano User Join Date: May 2004 Location: Berlin, Germany Posts: 437	Hmm, didn't consider this option... I'll give it a try and report back! Thanks! __________________

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