Wtb: Leadpipe(s) for Benge 290
- baroquetrombone
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Apr 16, 2018
I know they're out there somewhere.
Mine has a removable (press fit) pipe and tuning seems a little squirrelly, so I just want to try something different before I decide to blame myself. NO idea if mine is original or not, so I'd happily try a stock one. This is nowhere near my main instrument, so not looking to spend tons, but lmk what you have!
Mine has a removable (press fit) pipe and tuning seems a little squirrelly, so I just want to try something different before I decide to blame myself. NO idea if mine is original or not, so I'd happily try a stock one. This is nowhere near my main instrument, so not looking to spend tons, but lmk what you have!
- Posaunus
- Posts: 5018
- Joined: Mar 23, 2018
I think all Benge trombones (including the 290) were supplied only with fixed (soldered) leadpipes, so there are no "stock" replacements. :idk:
- Matt_K
- Posts: 4809
- Joined: Mar 21, 2018
It would have been easy-ish to just unsolder it, so it could be stock. You can order leadpipes for horns, even if they are typically fixed leadpipes, but I'm not sure if the Benge 290 part is still available. A tech should be able to look the part up and see if they can get an original replacement or at least their recommended substitute part.
- greenbean
- Posts: 1958
- Joined: Mar 23, 2018
I have a 290 leadpipe that was pulled from... a 290. I think it has a press-fit collar, but I would have to double check tonight.
- Burgerbob
- Posts: 6327
- Joined: Apr 23, 2018
Lots of other pipes will work better than the stock one, IMO. Give the modern Conn pipes a try, as well as a Shires 2.
- ithinknot
- Posts: 1339
- Joined: Jul 24, 2020
[quote="Burgerbob"]Lots of other pipes will work better than the stock one, IMO. Give the modern Conn pipes a try, as well as a Shires 2.[/quote]
Is that mostly a reasonable assumption, or have you spent a while with a pulled 290 (in which case what did you prefer)?
It's definitely an interesting set of design choices - tight pipe, single radius crook, relatively open rotors, then significantly chonkier than a 50 through the TS etc (dunno if it's quite in Edwards territory, and the legs aren't tapered, but even so...) - that it's hard to guess how critical the pipe might be to keeping the whole thing right side up
Is that mostly a reasonable assumption, or have you spent a while with a pulled 290 (in which case what did you prefer)?
It's definitely an interesting set of design choices - tight pipe, single radius crook, relatively open rotors, then significantly chonkier than a 50 through the TS etc (dunno if it's quite in Edwards territory, and the legs aren't tapered, but even so...) - that it's hard to guess how critical the pipe might be to keeping the whole thing right side up
- BGuttman
- Posts: 7368
- Joined: Mar 22, 2018
Squirrely could be something other than the leadpipe. I'd have somebody check the alignment of the valves and look for leaks. If that is the problem, no leadpipe will fix it.
- Bach5G
- Posts: 2874
- Joined: Apr 07, 2018
I think Bruce is right. Depending on precisely what you meant by “squirrely”, that doesn’t sound like a leadpipe issue. In my experience, changes due to lead pipes are pretty subtle.
I had a Corp. 42B and I described the blow as “squirrely”.It turned out to have a large blob of solder inside the main tuning slide.
I tried toreplace the lead pipe in my 290 but my tech said it looked like the lead pipe had been removed. There was so much solder around the replacement that he didn’t think he could get it out without damaging the horn.
I had a Corp. 42B and I described the blow as “squirrely”.It turned out to have a large blob of solder inside the main tuning slide.
I tried toreplace the lead pipe in my 290 but my tech said it looked like the lead pipe had been removed. There was so much solder around the replacement that he didn’t think he could get it out without damaging the horn.
- baroquetrombone
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Apr 16, 2018
I can't remember exactly why I thought that originally, other than that I thought the overtone series was really odd compared to other modern American trombones that I've played. I'm certainly not ruling out anything at this point (me, mouthpiece, damage, etc), and it's nothing I can't work around anyway, but I figured that just swapping a leadpipe would be easy and tell me SOMEthing. I always raise an eyebrow at modifications anyway when an instrument doesn't seem right.
I will say that the bell on this 290 seems REALLY close to the slide, so it's entirely possible that it fell off a stand or something at some point. I only play it professionally once a year, but that's with Terry Pierce, so I'll probably ask him to take a look at it anyway.
But I still wouldn't hate trying a different pipe or two, 'cause... why not?
thanks for the replies
I will say that the bell on this 290 seems REALLY close to the slide, so it's entirely possible that it fell off a stand or something at some point. I only play it professionally once a year, but that's with Terry Pierce, so I'll probably ask him to take a look at it anyway.
But I still wouldn't hate trying a different pipe or two, 'cause... why not?
thanks for the replies
- Matt_K
- Posts: 4809
- Joined: Mar 21, 2018
But I still wouldn't hate trying a different pipe or two, 'cause... why not?
You'll fit in here quite well :lol:
For leadpipes, you often have a dichotomy in some ways of Bach & Conn both because they are really popular horns, but also because a lot of horns are based off them in some regard or share similarities, at least on paper. Conn instruments are typically two piece vs. Bach's one piece... Conns (often) have an unsoldered bell bead vs. Bachs soldered, etc. etc. I can't speak for why Aidan would know if the 290 pipe is any good or not, but on paper the Benge has similarities to "Conn" style instruments, and those typically work well with leadpipes that are more "open". In Shires & Edwards pipes, these are numbered... 1, 2, and 3 (with inbetween pipes too, at least for Shires). Typically the Conn style instruments do well with 2 or 3 pipes, with the actual 88 pipe typically being somewhere in the middle of those two. Shires and Edwards pipes are fairly common modifications to trombones because they make good leadpipes and the taper in them is pretty popular even for instruments not by them.