For you Shires gurus, what is the nearest bell spec to the 4 stock Bach 42 bells?

Gold brass - Heavyweight (H)

Gold brass - Standard

Gold brass - Lightweight (star)

Yellow brass - Standard

I realise that the Shires will still have differences and play differently. I'd like to know how the relative weights line up as Shires also have 4-5 different weights.

Thanks in advance.

Hamo.

https://www.seshires.com/trombonebells

First, you want the TII flare shape, which is a copy of a 42 bell. Shires now makes one-piece trombone bells, so to get closest to Bach, that's where you would start. They start with the number 5. They were developed just before I stopped working there, and the line was not quite what it is now, so I'm guessing a little, but:

Gold brass - Heavyweight (H) TII 5G

Gold brass - Standard TII 5GM or maybe 5GVNY (Vintage New York)

Gold brass - Lightweight (star) Chicago model (which might be the same as the 5GVNY, but maybe not quite)

Yellow brass - Standard TII 5YM or maybe 5YVNY

You will almost certainly want to pair one of these bells with an X tuning slide, which is closer to the taper of a 42 tuning slide than the standard Shires tuning slide. I use a Chicago model bell with an X tuning slide when I play tenor.

All that said, getting the feel of a Bach is about more than the bell; it's also about tapers, crook shapes, how the tuning slides are made, etc. etc. etc. None of those (except the X tuning slide) are replicated in the Shires line.

And then finally, I'm pretty sure it's still happening that players who come in thinking they will want one of these one-piece bells walk out with a type 7 bell - a 2-piece bell with the flare shaped in a way that captures some of the response characteristics of one-piece, while keeping desirable aspects of two--piece bells. On bass trombone, I haven't tried a one-piece that I like better than my BII 7YM and 7GM.

Hi Gabe,

Thanks very much for this. Much more detail than I was expecting or even hoping for!

I'd really like to try a "Bachish" LW gold brass bell so the Chicago or a 7GLW look to be good places to start.

Thanks again!

[quote="Slidemo"]

I'd really like to try a "Bachish" LW gold brass bell so the Chicago or a 7GLW look to be good places to start.

Thanks again![/quote]

TII-7GLW. T-I taper is quite different from a Bach 42 taper. :good:

[quote="pedrombon"]<QUOTE author="Slidemo" post_id="120396" time="1595257212" user_id="3049">

I'd really like to try a "Bachish" LW gold brass bell so the Chicago or a 7GLW look to be good places to start.

Thanks again![/quote]

TII-7GLW. T-I taper is quite different from a Bach 42 taper. :good:
</QUOTE>

Yes! TII Taper. :good:

The Chicago bell is great. I don't play tenor often, but I feel immediately comfortable when I pick it up, like I have exactly the right combination of security and freedom.

[quote="Slidemo"]Hi Gabe,

Thanks very much for this. Much more detail than I was expecting or even hoping for!

I'd really like to try a "Bachish" LW gold brass bell so the Chicago or a 7GLW look to be good places to start.

Thanks again![/quote]

Found a demo TII7GLW, you might want to look

<LINK_TEXT text="https://brassgurus.com/collections/teno ... demo-stock">https://brassgurus.com/collections/tenor-bells/products/shires-tenor-trombone-tii-7glw-bell-demo-stock</LINK_TEXT>

[quote="ericcheng2005"]<QUOTE author="Slidemo" post_id="120396" time="1595257212" user_id="3049">
Hi Gabe,

Thanks very much for this. Much more detail than I was expecting or even hoping for!

I'd really like to try a "Bachish" LW gold brass bell so the Chicago or a 7GLW look to be good places to start.

Thanks again![/quote]

Found a demo TII7GLW, you might want to look

<LINK_TEXT text="https://brassgurus.com/collections/teno ... demo-stock">https://brassgurus.com/collections/tenor-bells/products/shires-tenor-trombone-tii-7glw-bell-demo-stock</LINK_TEXT>
</QUOTE>

Cheers, I'll take a look.

[quote="Slidemo"]<QUOTE author="ericcheng2005" post_id="120431" time="1595286188" user_id="8940">

Found a demo TII7GLW, you might want to look

<LINK_TEXT text="https://brassgurus.com/collections/teno ... demo-stock">https://brassgurus.com/collections/tenor-bells/products/shires-tenor-trombone-tii-7glw-bell-demo-stock</LINK_TEXT>[/quote]

Cheers, I'll take a look.
</QUOTE>

:)

Does anyone know if the TII5YVNY is closest to a medium weight or a lightweight bell in the Shires scheme of things?