Eva, you kind of glossed right over the more significant part of making
that 179 play better. I tend to forget that people are trying out these
replacement leadpipes on old worn out horns with leaky valves and tuning
slides. Sure the FB-210 is a fine pipe, but I guarantee, the valve rebuild is
what made the horn play. Putting a fine new leadpipe on a worn, leaky horn is
just buzzing into the wind.
Here's an experiment for everyone. Buy a new custom horn. Get something
nice, something between maybe 8 to 12,000 dollars. Take an electric drill and
drill 4 big holes in it. Now you have the effect of having 4 leaky valves.
Buy several good custom leadpipes and try them on the horn. Now put some tape
over the holes and try the original pipe. Which is better?
Years ago I sold a horn to a fellow. I never really liked the horn very
much, but he loved it, and for years he raved about how it was the best horn he
owned. Of course it was. It was the only one he owned that didn't have leaky
valves!
- Steve Mumford
Eva wrote:
Many years ago, when I was a 'wee horn-playing lass', I had a Holton
179,
which was a total dog. However, it was dramatically improved and made
into
a really fine horn by putting a Lawson FB-210 (if memory serves--it was
many years ago) lead pipe on it. Of course it had a valve rebuild too.
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