Make sure you take it to an experienced tech who will make sure the vent is done right, with the right size as well as not deforming the casing.

Did someone say Yamaha?

I hate to admit it, but I'm a Yamaha brass addict. They make good stuff. However they aren't the end all be all, and it seems like a lot of their best stuff no longer gets made.

Honestly, my goal is eventually a Yamaha 631, or a Besson with a 17 inch bell. Compensating with a 17 inch bell pretty much.

Well, this comes down to "it depends", as with most things. Full disclosure: I'm primarily a trombone player, and play tenor and bass trombone. Most people who play both do not use the same mouthpiece on both instruments, just as most trombonists who play tenor and alto do not play the same ...

The trombone world has been full of "tone tumors", "resistance balancers", and other Braces and such you could put pretty much anywhere. Rath trombones has trombones with minimal bracing and counterweights for their custom lines, but you can get any number of weights to attach to them. Ralph Sauer ...

The false tones on trombone are usually a tritone below the "normal" note, so in 1st position, you get E natural, and so forth. It may be different on tubas. The only real way to get good at them is to find them, and them play them. Down low the slots are much less restrictive IMHO, so you can just ...

NICE! This reminds me of the typical way that most vintage BMW motorcycles arrived to a restorer I know: in boxes in pieces. Seems like there are a ton of vintage motorcycles sitting in pieces in basements.

Can't wait to see the end result!

You won't see many instruments plated with nickel these days. Honestly I'd suggest doing lacquer before you do nickel. Plating is something you don't want to cheap out on. If they don't prep properly, the plating won't adhere right, and you've got a mess. Most shops that send stuff out to plating do ...

I always love the stuff he posts. Such a great sound and feel, and such a great guy too.

Is that 5th valve dependent on another one of the valves?

So, is the slide too stiff I would assume? Do you have to bend it inward/outward to get it to go back in when you remove it?

For me, I like the Hetman Synthetic piston oil. #2. For close tolerance instruments, the #1 may be better. I believe that it has anti corrosion ingredients that help keep the pistons and casings from oxidizing. I also use Ultra-Pure oil for various things as well. Depends on the instrument I'm using ...

A VERY strong cleaner is name-branded “Purple Power“, and an even stronger one - possibly in the same family - is called “Super Clean“. They are both at Walmart. I use “Super Clean” to strip the oil stain off of my log house, when I refinish it. If that is Castrol "Super Clean", that is one serious ...

The question I have is whether brass makers back then had their own foundries for melting down and rolling sheet brass. I think this is doubtful. Likely the reason a lot of these brass manufacturers were in industrial areas is/was access to bar and sheet stock. That is what I was thinking. So, I ...

These days, it's not that hard to find out the composition of a metal sample. One of the mods on the now defunct trombone forum had access to a gas chromatograph (or something like that) to test samples from mouthpieces. There of course were stories of some "special brass alloy" used for the vintage ...

My dad went through something similar, with an Aortic valve replacement, bypass (while they were already in there) and a maze procedure for AFIB. Definitely don't rush it, at all. I would definitely talk to your doctor, rehab people, etc. They just cracked open your chest, and did a whole bunch of ...

They really are legendary horns. If you are looking for THAT classic commercial jazz sound from the 70s and 80s, the Duo Gravis is the ticket. Great edge that will rip through the mix while still providing a solid foundation.

Whatever I end up with. All of my trombones are lacquer. My tubas and euphonium are silver.

Right now, there's a silver plated trombone I am interested in, so I might consider that.

Toby Hanks used to tell me (and I agree) that most folks' sinuses and nasal passages don't really allow for a free inhalation. A quick breath through the nose often makes a lot of unpleasant, 'snotty' noise, and will serve as more of a distraction than just finding a musical place to breathe. I ...

Heavy valve caps are a pretty regular thing to see on trumpets and euphonium. Probably not so much on tubas as they already weigh a lot. Adding or removing weight to change the resonance will always be a nice and easy way to fine tune how an instrument plays. Look at Edwards Trombones: they ...