Plithos

I RECENTLY bought a Schilke X3 which is i think made of Beryllium..that silver copper..
when i told my teacher that i bought the trumpet he told me that at some time Schilke had produced a trumpet which was very delicate, that you had to treat her very gently in order not to hurt the articulations or the metal..
can it be that of mine..

stchasking

Schilke no longer makes trumpets with Beryllium bells. They use copper with a silver plate instead. I believe, at one time, Schilke did make bells from very thin Beryllium. One of the trumpet teachers where I live has a pic with a Beryllium bell. I have not seen it up close.

Schilke uses the Beryllium as a marketing tool. I think you will find this discussion on their web site. The sales brochure I have says Berylllium is a marketing name for copper with silver plate.

Beryllium is a heavy metal. It is low density but has a stiffness 4/3 of steel. It is also very hard to work in the thin sheet form.

Brekelefuw

You can still buy beryllium bells from Schilke. I play a B3L and I was thinking of getting a different bell and when I talked to customer service, the guy said they had them.

stchasking

Be sure to ask them if it is the true element beryllium.
I talked to the Schilke reps at ITG and he said they don't make any production horns with the elemental form of beryllium. They use copper for the bells. See if you can nail them down on the terminology. I suppose they have to have replacement parts for the old production.
So, you would wonder if you could buy an aftermarket beryllium bell and retrofit it on an new production horn?

I'll look up the B3L Schilke and learn a little more about this subject.

Brekelefuw

Thank you for your inquiry. We would be able to supply a tuning bell direct if ordered.

You have your choice of the following options:

Your B3L comes with a standard #3 taper yellow brass tuning bell. We offer the following options.

#3 Tuning Bell (Silver) - Yellow Brass or Copper ... $410.00
#3 Tuning Bell (Silver) - Beryllium... $530.00
#3 Tuning Bell (Silver) - Sterling Silver... $825.00

#3 Tuning Bell (Gold) - Yellow Brass or Copper ... $810.00
#3 Tuning Bell (Gold) - Beryllium... $930.00
#3 Tuning Bell (Gold) - Sterling Silver... $1225.00

To convert your B3L to an X3L, you would switch bells to a #1 taper yellow brass bell. The #1 bell would play slightly broader with less resistance as compared to the #3 bell.

#1 Tuning Bell (Silver) - Yellow Brass or Copper ... $410.00
#1 Tuning Bell (Silver) - Beryllium... $530.00
#1 Tuning Bell (Silver) - Sterling Silver... $825.00

#1 Tuning Bell (Gold) - Yellow Brass or Copper ... $810.00
#1 Tuning Bell (Gold) - Beryllium... $930.00
#1 Tuning Bell (Gold) - Sterling Silver... $1225.00

We do offer the #2 taper tuning bells but we do not offer a production model with the same valve section as a B3L with a #2 bell. In general, this a compact focused bell with direction.

#2 Tuning Bell (Silver) - Yellow Brass or Copper ... $410.00
#2 Tuning Bell (Silver) - Beryllium... $530.00
#2 Tuning Bell (Silver) - Sterling Silver... $825.00

#2 Tuning Bell (Gold) - Yellow Brass or Copper ... $810.00
#2 Tuning Bell (Gold) - Beryllium... $930.00
#2 Tuning Bell (Gold) - Sterling Silver... $1225.00

In general... the beryllium bell option is a lighter bell so the response is quick. It usually plays brighter than a corresponding yellow bell. It works well with the bigger #1 bell taper offering a little brilliance but the quick response and more even blow in all registers not found in many of our competitors large bore trumpets.

In general... the sterling silver bell is a slightly heavier bell offering great projection and presence to the sound... more overtones.

Please let me know what interests you and how I might be of further service.




This is the email I got. It doesn't really say what the beryllium bell is.

stchasking

Thank You for posting.
Based on the prices you have posted I would say the "Beryllium" bells are copper with silver plate. Copper is relatively cheap and beryllium would be very expensive. I am pretty sure we are seeing "Beryllium" used as a trade name and not the actual metal.

I think we have beat this pretty bad so unless we can get a Schilke sales rep to chime in with the truth and history we aren't going to get anywhere. All I can say is I talked to the Reps at ITG and they said "Beryllium" is used as a trade name for copper with silver plate bells.

I wish we could drive a stake in this. But we can't.

Plithos

you know you saved me from dying of so much stress..
but i think it's true..
schilke doesn't really use Beryllium in manufacturing at this time..
and keeps it more for commercial use...
it's kind like when you buy a stereo.. sony blah blah blah "The Corruptor"..ooooo!!
kidding..
though i'm happy to realise that my trumpet will be made by copper..
love the sound
kisses

stchasking

There is a Schilke in my future. I played a couple of ML and M bore horns and I really have the bug bad. That is why I got into this. Besides working with Beryllium-Copper bearings in my job I get kind of a kick out of the magic of Beryllium. Light weight and very rigid/stiff metal.

Plithos

you know i had tried a couple of Schilke in the Muzikmesse in Frankfurt..but all in a rush.. to make it out for all the brands..
but 2 weeks ago i played with an old X3 of a fellow student and a big smile appeared in my face.. i had it till the next day..
so as i was in buying research i couldn't do anything else than to try to find one to buy.. (although the prices are bitter poison in the throat)
and i did..
i expect it in the coming week..with a Schilke bag..
man i really can;t wait..

What a fun this forum is..
anyone speaks about anything he loves and all others know almost exactly what he's saying..
cheers

Bob Odneal

I replaced my tuning beryllium bell with the Sterling Silver bell. I really like it much better. I had one of the 1st they came out with.