Richard Smith wrote:
"Well my comment was directed at bell throat size, not the bore size. In that
respect the Paxman 25A is a very large horn. The bore of many German horns is
larger than the 8D (which is.468). Until I played the 25A, I did not like
Paxmans. The dual bore certainly makes a difference but that big bell throat is
what is important to me and where the 25A departs from other Paxmans and most
German instruments."
This is from off the top of my head, but I guarantee accuracy to .1 mm. Here is
a quick list of bore sizes and some instruments makers:
.468 (11.89 mm) Conn, Holton, King
.472 (12 mm) Yamaha, Paxman 20 series, Bb side of the Paxman 25 series (dual
bore), other European makers
.475 (12.1 mm) Alexander, Lewis
.500 F side of the Paxman 25 series (dual bore)
Paxman dual bore horns match the F side to the openness of the Bb side (which
is why the F side has the largest bore of any production horn). American dual
bore horns generally match the Bb side to the F side by shrinking the bore of
the Bb. Notable users of this system are Holton Merker horns and Lawson horns.
My experience with Paxman horns (I own a 1979 Paxman 40L and a 1992 Paxman 70A:
I have also took test spins on some 20 and 25s), backed up by a few IRTs that
work on Paxmans, is that the Paxman valves are "tight" when it comes to
horizontal play (back and forth), but "loose" when it comes to vertical play
(up and down). I have had the vertical play taken out of both of my horns and
noticed immediate improvements in the instruments response. My vote is check
the valves first. Paxman horns usually have a reputation for having "notchy"
high registers.
My observation of Paxman and PHC mouthpieces is that they seat into the
mouthpipe 1/16" less than a standard American mouthpiece. The PHCs in
particular worked great on my Paxmans (d'uh!) Yamaha, and assorted Conns. I
could never get them to work on my Lewis. My Lawson mouthpiece works great on
all of my horns (N.B. I used to have a European shanked descant horn that the
Lawson mouthpiece did not work with; I solved that problem by buying the Paxman
40L).
Finally, if valve work and an accustically matched mouthpiece doesn't solve
your problem, my vote is to get Lawson mouthpipe. Kendall makes some great
pipes for the Paxman horns.
Respectfully Submitted,
Scott Young
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