Hey everyone!

If you ever wished UMI / Conn hadn't stopped selling the Resistance Balancers (the concept itself is actually pretty old, there are pictures of people duct taping their bells in the same spot in the 70's and even earlier than that), I've got great news for you!

The concept is simple -- You wrap up a section of the bell throat with some material as tight as you can, slide it down the bell to tighten it a bit more, and voila: you have just changed the response of your instrument. I have been working on some bell sleeves which are pretty similar as a hobby, and I've been having a lot of fun testing them out. This is just a hobby, but I figured that now that I have my designs, I might as well see if anyone else would like one. It'd be great as a way for me to fund some more recording equipment, and possibly my own website!

I have created three sizes (Small, Medium, Large), each size comes in two different weights (Light and Heavy) and colors (Red, Blue).



First of all, what do these do? This concept has always seemed to be kind of like a gimmick or black magic to a lot of people, but they really do change the response of your instrument, and sometimes a lot! This is very subjective, of course, but I can tell you what my observations have been:

Weight: The weight in each sleeve is determined by the thickness of the material.

Light: The light sleeves tighten up the response of the instrument with extra stability in the upper register, slightly increase the instrument's resistance, and help to give me snappy articulations, but they don't have too much of an effect on the tone of the instrument. I had used the Light / Large sleeve when playing bassoon parts in a woodwind quintet to great effect. The extra resistance helped the lower register speak easily (C below the staff, etc), and during one recital the horn professor at the school we were playing at commented that the blend was surprisingly good given the instrumentation and wondered if the "thing on the bell" had anything to do with it. It certainly helped. Light weight sleeves don't really do much for heavy sterling bells.

Heavy: The heavy sleeves add quite a bit of resistance to the instrument and really tighten up the response, especially in the upper register. Articulations, especially on the Heavy / Large, are more immediate but are also somewhat dampened. In other words, if I really try to wail out a fast passage, the articulations seem easier than on the open horn, but a lot of the edge is removed. I can tackle difficult passages a bit more aggressively without worrying about it having too much edge to the listener. In hindsight, the Heavy / Large is what I would have used in the woodwind quintet if I had made one back then. The heavier sleeves, especially the Heavy / Large, definitely dampen some of the overtones in the instrument. This is not a negative effect, it is just a change in the response of the instrument. I have used the Heavy / Large sleeve in a New Orleans style brass band and it is a lot of fun to really lay into the trombone and hear a ton of fundamental in your tone. I have not been able to overblow the Heavy / Large sleeve. While the light weight sleeves don't do much for sterling bells, the heavy sleeves play really nicely with them.

Size: The sizes essentially increase the effects listed above. The small will have the least change in response, and the large will have the most. The small is also meant for alto trombone, though I recommend using the heavy weight for alto.

When to use them: I have seemed to gravitate towards the Heavy / Small on my large tenor for all of my daily routine. In this way, it has become the new normal. If I want to sound really brassy on a piece, I can remove it. If I am playing with the woodwind quintet, the Light / Large or Heavy / Large is going on. I'm slowly building up ideas about which pieces might work best with which ones, but really it seems like I'd just want to keep the Heavy / Small on all the time, and change it up only if it makes sense for the ensemble.

Prices are based on the time they take to make, and not the size:

Light (any size / either color): $15

Heavy (any size/ either color): $18

Shipping: $6 for up to six (ie, a complete set). I can't imagine you'd order more than that, but I guess it would cost more if you did.

I plan on recording a few excerpts using each one so that comparisons can be made on how they affect the tone, but in the meantime all I have is my description of how they affect the instrument's response.

<B>If you would like to purchase one, please PM or email me. I accept payments through PayPal, using my PayPal address.</B>

paypal.me/harrisontreed

Please also post something in this topic!

Here's some pics below:



Light / Small / Red



Light / Med / Red



Light / Large / Red



Heavy / Small / Blue



Heavy / Med / Blue



Heavy / Large / Blue



Heavy / Small / Blue on Alto



Heavy / Large / Blue on 3B SilverSonic



Detail of attachment

Glad to see you have one on a 36H alto. I have a set of the Lindberg resistance balancers and they really do change up the color and quality of sound. A God-send when playing a Mozart mass and a smallish choir!

[quote="snieckarz"]Glad to see you have one on a 36H alto. I have a set of the Lindberg resistance balancers and they really do change up the color and quality of sound. A God-send when playing a Mozart mass and a smallish choir![/quote]

Thanks! I have only just started using this on the alto, and I've really been enjoying it.

Off topic, but I have to ask - the 36H Alto looks silver in the pictures - is it silver plated, or is it a sterling silver horn? I heard that Conn made Lindberg a sterling alto, but they weren't mass produced. If it's plated, was that a factory option, or did someone plate it for you?

Jim Scott

[quote="CalgaryTbone"]Off topic, but I have to ask - the 36H Alto looks silver in the pictures - is it silver plated, or is it a sterling silver horn? I heard that Conn made Lindberg a sterling alto, but they weren't mass produced. If it's plated, was that a factory option, or did someone plate it for you?

Jim Scott[/quote]

This was a factory option silver plate, and those were all contracted through Anderson Plating.

I did have CIOMIT make a mechanical arm (instead of string) for the rotor, and had the tuning slide cut, so the alto is not a stock horn.

When I was in the market for an alto back in the late 90's, I consulted with Joe Alessi on various makes and models. Alessi played a 36H for a short period of time back then and made the recommendation for the horn and to get it in silver. Back then I didn't have the scratch for a Glassel.

[quote="snieckarz"]When I was in the market for an alto back in the late 90's, I consulted with Joe Alessi on various makes and models. Alessi played a 36H for a short period of time back then and made the recommendation for the horn and to get it in silver. Back then I didn't have the scratch for a Glassel.[/quote]

Honestly, the 36H had three things going for it out of the factory when I got mine (eastlake). The sound was very good, the slide is still 10/10, and the Bb rotor, once you know what it's actually for, is so useful that I don't want an alto without one.

But that was it. It was flat pushed in all the way. The leadpipe taper is wrong (ish) for normal mouthpieces. It is awkward to hold and tiring to play. A great tool, but too much work to be fun.

Having cut the tuning slide, reworked the awkward trigger, and now with the addition of a heavy (and tightly attached) response sleeve, the 36H is a joy to play and I can't really blame it for my own playing any more. It is SO nice to get instant response in every register and compensate some of the resistance that is lost when using a normal tapered mouthpiece with the fixed leadpipe. Bye-bye breathy tone and inefficient response.

Thanks for all the interest and sales so far everyone!

What’s your email address? And are these still available?

Harrison's e-mail is in his profile, which you can see if you have two approved posts. If you must, we have a topic called "Why can't I see my posts" that has been used for dummy posts to bulk up the count.

I know that now. Sorry, I just joined the forum.

Sorry about the confusion. I am currently unwilling to make these now. Very busy at work, and about to move overseas to Asia.

I have the materials and ability to make these still, but not for a price that I feel would justify the time required out of my schedule while still being fair to the buyer.