talcito

Hey Guys:

Friend of mine currently plays a Bach large bore 25 bell. He is considering changing the bell to a tunable bell and purchasing other tunable bells, of different materials, for this horn.. He figures he could get a wider spectrum of colors this way and keep the blow consistent. He does like the way his horn currently plays.

Any of you ever try this? In general how different does the tunable bell bell play/feel vs. a traditional fixed bell set-up?

Brekelefuw

I play a Schilke B3L. It is a tuning bell. Personally I can't play the horn when I tune from the bell, so I always tune from the main tuning slide. The horn just feels and responds differently having the bell pulled out instead of the slide.
I want to get or make some new bells for the horn, but I haven't got around to it. Honestly, while the bell makes a difference in how the horn sounds and plays, it is ultimately the player who tells the horn how to sound.

rowuk

Every tuning bell Bach that I have played has been good. Especially on the C-trumpets, the intonation gets much better and the blow more even!

I think your friend is in for an ugly surprise if he expects the blow to stay consistent. Read the thread on "how a trumpet works" and you will see why.
The actual quantity of air that goes through the horn is only a fraction of what we perceive as "blow". A bell that projects more will feel "stiffer" because less energy is reflected off of the outside back to the player even if the quantity of air flowing is identical. The bell where you hear yourself better will not project as much into the room. You will have a lot more colors available however and this is a VERY good reason to have a tuning bell!
There is also a certain "synergy" between leadpipe and bell. It could very well result in a "favorite" combination!

Vulgano Brother

My experience with different bells on my tuning bell trumpets is not all-inclusive, but it seems that the bell flare makes a much bigger difference than materials. It is fun, however, to mess around with bells, and one of the fun things to do is to pull the bell out about 3/4 of an inch and do the rest of the tuning with the slide--this gives us even more gaps to fool with, and is always good for an extra 15-20 minutes in the practice session. Have fun!

gchun

My experience is that a tuning bell horn CAN respond faster and more even than a fixed bell horn. The removal of the braces can not only make the horn more fragile, but it can affect the secure the slots feel. Some like it, some don't. I personally prefer the fixed bell horns as I feel like I'm "driving on ice" with tuning bell horns. Personal preference.

I did, however, like a bach horn with the tuning slide to bell brace removed and replaced with a movable sound post. Once I found the right spot with the sound post, the horn really sang.

See if you can borrow a tuning bell horn and try it out first. You may like it. You might not.

Garry

DQsCustomShop

I have converted a few horns to be tunable bell, either for myself or customers, and I notice a lot of differences. The blow is slightly freer, you feel more resonance in your hands due to the lack of a front abd back brace on the bell, and its easier to dial in the horn to exactly what you want. You cna set the gap that feels the best for you at the tuning slide than you can put the horn in tune at the bell.

DQ

confuoco

For me tuning bells don't hold up as well when it comes time to crank out some sound. I like them on an Eb/D. I don't like them on a C trumpet.