Posted by Paul Scott on April 06, 2002 at 16:53:51:
In Reply to: Re: Re: D*mn Recording bell posted by Lew on April 06, 2002 at 14:12:04:
The side-action Martin that I have has a VERY long reach to the valves and no place in back to get much of a grip. I remember trying a Conn similar to the one in your photograph and it didn't seem as awkward. The top-action Martin is balanced really nicely; I can play it sitting on a stool with Dixie combinations with no problem at all. I generally use the standard 24" bell although I own the rather bizarre 30" bell, too. You do have to be careful to balance everything carefully with the big bell but it's not as unmanageable as you might think.