What can I expect from an All Nickel Slide?

SwissTbone · by **SwissTbone** » 2018-11-23 2:59 a.m.

I play on a very fine Hagmann custom bass trombone with an Edwards B-DBN slide. Thats a .562"/.578" dual bore slide with yellow brass outer with nickel sleeves. It is a very fine horn with a very dense orchestral sound and it holds together very well with high volume playing. So for orchestra this is the ideal bass trombone to me.

I also play a lot in british style Brass Bands, besides 3 big BBb and 2 Eb tubas that make a glorious sound. I can play plenty loud in those Ensembles, but it is a lot of work! Sometimes I think I am burried by the Tuba sound since my bass trombone sounds pretty dark. So I try to lighten up my sound, but that only works to a certain point.

So I am thinking about buying a slide that will help me with that and I thought about an all nickel slide, single bore (I think Edwards calls it a BCAN slide). What are your experiences with all nickel slides? Brighter sound? To bright? How do they hold together at a high volume?

blast · by **blast** » 2018-11-23 4:40 a.m.

My go-to with the Raths is an all nickel silver slide... I use it for everything. You play it a little differently from a brass slide, but I don't think that it is the magic bullet you are looking for. A leadpipe change would be cheaper and offer just as much of a change if you get the right one.

Chris

SwissTbone · by **SwissTbone** » 2018-11-23 5:10 a.m.

[quote="blast"]You play it a little differently from a brass slide,[/quote]

How so?

[quote="blast"]A leadpipe change would be cheaper and offer just as much of a change if you get the right one.[/quote]

Any ideas wich leadpipes could help?

blast · by **blast** » 2018-11-23 7:32 a.m.

A little differently.... back off a bit... work on focus as the NS tends to 'spread' a little more..... it's more complicated than that, bit you get the idea.

A great leadpipe for one horn is rubbish in another, so I hesitate to offer advice. Try some and see.

Chris

SwissTbone · by **SwissTbone** » 2018-11-23 8:13 a.m.

[quote="blast"]A little differently.... back off a bit... work on focus as the NS tends to 'spread' a little more..... it's more complicated than that, bit you get the idea.[/quote]

Yes I get the idea I think. And it actually goes in the direction I d like. More focus, less volume, less "physical".

whitbey · by **whitbey** » 2018-11-23 8:29 a.m.

I have two Edwards horns. The sterling silver bell works really well with a nickle slide. The little extra brightness fills out the rich dark sterling silver. The brass bell gets a little too bright for symphony playing for me. Flipping the slides between bells gives the same differences. So I would expect you will add a little brightness to your bass.

u_2bobone · by **u_2bobone** » 2018-11-23 5:19 p.m.

I found that the addition of a "Sauer Brace" on the handslide of my 62H produced exactly the result for which you are searching. It produced some difference on my King 8B and virtually no difference on my King Duo Gravis Silver Sonic. Accordingly, you just have to try these changes [ metallurgy - lead pipes - mouthpieces - gizmos ] on your instrument ------ and on yourself ! There's no free lunch on this one, just a lot of monotonous trial and error until "BullsEye" !

SwissTbone · by **SwissTbone** » 2018-11-24 2:54 a.m.

[quote="2bobone"]I found that the addition of a "Sauer Brace" on the handslide of my 62H produced exactly the result for which you are searching. It produced some difference on my King 8B and virtually no difference on my King Duo Gravis Silver Sonic. Accordingly, you just have to try these changes [ metallurgy - lead pipes - mouthpieces - gizmos ] on your instrument ------ and on yourself ! There's no free lunch on this one, just a lot of monotonous trial and error until "BullsEye" ![/quote]

That may be worth a try... much cheaper than a new slide :-)

GBP · by **GBP** » 2018-12-01 8:00 p.m.

I am going to try my M/K nickel silver leadpipe in my Edwards nickel silver slide. I am trying to develop a more commercial sounding horn.

conical · by **conical** » 2018-12-03 4:52 a.m.

I have found that my Edwards 100% nickel bass slide with a nickel-silver leadpipe provides a bright and penetrating sound.

Ndwood · by **Ndwood** » 2018-12-03 1:47 p.m.

FWIW I also play on a Bach 50 with Hagmann valves, but a Shires dual bore slide (all yellow brass with nickel sleeves) with a Brass Ark copper MV50 leadpipe. I've been having a similar issue trying to get the right sound in the few big band gigs I get. Using my original Bach 50 slide and a yellow brass MV50 leadpipe has definitely been a step in the right direction, but it's still a bit too big and dense and the blend is a little too homogenous between me, the bari sax, and bass when we have lines together. Something like that might be close enough to the change you're looking for though.

seungminzeke · by **seungminzeke** » 2018-12-03 9:39 p.m.

I have a Bach 42BO with the nickel slide and yellow brass bell. If you want a bright sound, its a good option(I'd say def for jazz) but it's too bright and doesn't have a round enough sound for me, but that is just my preference.

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What can I expect from an All Nickel Slide?