Posted by Bill on February 21, 2000 at 20:14:18:
In Reply to: Re: ST. PETERSBURG WARNING!!! posted by Matt A on February 21, 2000 at 18:54:12:
I think I know what you're talking about with the plastic things for protecting bells. While I don't recall ever seeing them commerically available as such, I know a number of people that use clear PVC tubing. Go to pretty much any hardware store and pick up a length of clear, flexable PVC equal to the circumfrence of your horn's bell. slice the tubing lengthwise and put it on the rim of your bell. I've seen a variety of solutions for connecting the seam where the ends of the tubing meet, including tape, hot glue and other adhesives, although I don't know what the best route would be. I've never done this to any of my horns, so I can't vouch for how it might alter sound quality, but it is very effective at protecting the bell of an instrument. either way, the tubing is very inexpensive, and this requires very little effort to do, so it may be worth experimenting.
hope that helps.
good luck!
-Bill