Reynold Schilke's article concluded that plated versus bare brass
instruments sounded about the same, while lacquered instruments sounded
noticeably different. My wife has a brass Reynolds FE-03 made in 1962.
As the lacquer was starting to wear and the metal to pit around the hand
guard, she had the horn stripped and nickel plated at the Schilke shop
in the mid-1970's. Unlike silver, nickel does not tarnish and it is
tougher, although some people are allergic to it. Her horn looks as good
today as it did when it was first plated, and it plays very well.
I have also seen a number of ex-service instruments which had been
silver plated, and the plating is worn on the inside of the bell and
where the horn was handled. Several trumpet colleagues play Schilke
trumpets on which the plating has worn off from many years of handling.
I'm not sure what metal(s) they used, but don't expect plating to last
"forever" - just a long time. There are systems for spot plating, but
I've never used them. I suspect they apply a very thin layer of metal.
My horns are all bare brass, and especially in the summer, when I wash
the green oxide off my right hand, I think about getting them plated, at
least the inside of the bell - someday.
Richard Hirsh, Chicago
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