King curved braces, why are some of them backwards?

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although
Posts: 72
Joined: Feb 13, 2019

by although »

So, every now and then, I see a King 2B where the curved brace curves back toward the tuning slide. The vast majority of them curve toward the bell.

Does anyone know what's up with this? Was there a particular model, or time period where King mounted them differently?

Just curious :)

mike
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BGuttman
Posts: 7368
Joined: Mar 22, 2018

by BGuttman »

All of these have been modified after they left the factory. Some players like having the brace bent toward the tuning slide (although I have no idea what they were looking for). Sometimes it's an incompetent repairman who just mounted it backwards.
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Rusty
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Joined: Jun 01, 2018

by Rusty »

I think I read somewhere that some players felt the bell resonated better with it mounted the other way, so some would’ve been factory, others modified afterwards.
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Burgerbob
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Joined: Apr 23, 2018

by Burgerbob »

[quote="Rusty"]I think I read somewhere that some players felt the bell resonated better with it mounted the other way, so some would’ve been factory, others modified afterwards.[/quote]

I'm not sure any would have come from the factory like that. Maybe by request of a top artist.
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greenbean
Posts: 1958
Joined: Mar 23, 2018

by greenbean »

I am quite sure none were factory.
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Thrawn22
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Joined: Sep 06, 2018

by Thrawn22 »

[quote="Rusty"]I think I read somewhere that some players felt the bell resonated better with it mounted the other way, so some would’ve been factory, others modified afterwards.[/quote]

I heard there was a trombone tech who would reverse the King front bell brace to help the bell resonate/respond better. The idea being that as designed, the front brace with how large that flange is extends pretty far forward inhibiting the bell vibrations.

So I've been told.
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BGuttman
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Joined: Mar 22, 2018

by BGuttman »

Interesting thing is, if you read the King sales literature of the period they extol the enhanced resonance of the setup as shipped.
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OneTon
Posts: 757
Joined: Nov 02, 2021

by OneTon »

Bicycles with lugged frames similar to the tuning slide fitting are analyzed as pinned connections. Moving the bell support brace towards the tuning slide fitting stiffens that joint and increases the moment that the tuning slide/bell fitting can react. High frequencies are enhanced and low frequencies are suppressed. King got it right, as built, at the factory.
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Doug_Elliott
Posts: 4155
Joined: Mar 22, 2018

by Doug_Elliott »

That forward bell stiffness or dampening is probably why Kings play very loud so well without breaking up. Bells that are braced farther back do respond faster but some tend to vibrate too much at louder volumes and the sound breaks up.
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brassmedic
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Joined: Dec 14, 2018

by brassmedic »

You can't just flip the brace around. It would require considerable modification since it's all one piece and the receiver has to point the right way. And the bell flange would be slanted the opposite direction from the taper of the bell.
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Matt_K
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Joined: Mar 21, 2018

by Matt_K »

Anything can be easy with a sufficient quantity of solder
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Crazy4Tbone86
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Joined: Jan 14, 2020

by Crazy4Tbone86 »

[quote="brassmedic"]You can't just flip the brace around. It would require considerable modification since it's all one piece and the receiver has to point the right way. And the bell flange would be slanted the opposite direction from the taper of the bell.[/quote]

Exactly. Every time I saw one of those reversed braces, I started thinking about all the work it would take to cut the brace and braze it in the opposite direction. It probably takes a considerable amount of bending and flexing to get it to line up with no tension. There are no adjustable parts on those King braces…..it is one piece from the slide receiver over to the bell flange.