Posted by Klaus on April 20, 2001 at 21:34:50:
In Reply to: Re: One more ? on Joe’S helibomb leadpipe posted by Ace on April 20, 2001 at 20:45:56:
I never claimed to have made it better in general, only it is better for me.
It might have shined through that my lungs are very sore and quite low in capacity for my size (3.5 liters at my best days). Hence resistance is a pest for me.
Vincent Bach in his book on mpcs tells of his standard models having less than ideal, acoustically, throats and backbores. Because the average amateur customer would feel himself exhausted by playing them. The real pro Bach models are, or at least were, mostly on special order.
Way back in 1970 I had the very good repairman John Petersen (dead 1990) of I. K. Gottfried open up the backbore of a Bach #3 used on my Imperial 3 valve comp Brit style baritone. Amazing results in control and dynamic range.
Since then I have speculated in how to modify mpcs for my ever growing collection of brasses. The pro shops would get the mood indigo, if I turned up for every minor change.
So I bought some rivets intended for cleaning up smoking pipes. They are far from industrial strength in hardness, but that makes them modifiable by hand filing. Plus a few more hardware store rivets.
With these primitive tools I open up the lower backbore in what you might call a barrel shape. I call it a candle shape.
With the more straightly profiled rivets I open up the upper backbore. BUT NOT the throat (except for the French horn Giardinelly J 4 and the DW4AY presently used on the Imperial baritone).
My original PT 50 has been through this process. But when I (on my Besson 981 Eb) nearly killed the others in a brass band style 5-tet subbing, soundwise at least, I bought one more specimen of the PT 50, which has not been modified. But I hardly ever use this unmodified specimen. It does not give neither the sound, nor the control of the opened up version.
Disclaimers:
Do not blame me for ruined mouthpieces. I have not ruined even one so far in working on maybe 20 different ones. But then I work in small increments between every testing. And I rinse the mouthpiece very well every time it has been touched by a tool.
If you want a well slotting feel of playing, the do not open up your mouthpieces.
Sadly I must admit, that I do get no kickbacks from any mouthpiece maker.
Klaus