Dan wrote: "In my search for the lightest triple horn, I am thinking of getting an Engelbert Schmid compensating triple F/Bb/f. Does anyone have experience with these or can tell me if they have any particular problems? I like my standard Schmid F/Bb/f triple very much, and this one is about 15% lighter."
Dan, while I have never weighed one, I have worked on many Englebert Schmid horns and I can say with certainty that part for part, horn versus horn, it is the lightest horn made. If you are comparing a double to a Schmid double, the Schmid double will weigh less each and every time. Same thing for the triple horns. Englebert has taken every spare gram of metal off of his instruments. The construction is as light as it can be without compromising structural integrity. It is my opinion that this is the reason his triple horns are so popular in the US, because they don't weigh much more than most double horns. As for particular problems, I can tell what I've seen in my repair shop, which is that you have to oil these horns on a regular schedule because of the cylindrical rotor facings. (The bearings are tapered.) You shouldn't really skip the oiling. And, I've seen some of the older horns with problems regarding the lever spatulas coming unsoldered from the rest of the lever. Those spatulas were soft-soldered, not brazed. I do not know if he currently brazes the lever spatulas to the rest of the mechanism. On the triple horns you have a dual change valve system, and those valves have to be strung just so so that the rotor stops freely move all the way through the rotation to the bumpers on both valves. The long tuning slides should be greased regularly because you definitely do not want those getting stuck in place. That's about it as far as any concerns I've seen in my own shop. A well maintained horn of any quality manufacture should never have problems, and the Schmids are no exception. -- *Regards, Dave Weiner Brass Arts Unlimited* _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
