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Last summer I sent my old Yahama 667 to James Patterson in New Mexico for a conversion. I am happy to report that I remain very pleased with it.
For the cost-conscious student, professional or amateur player looking to make simple and affordable improvements, customizing an instrument with a new leadpipe or bell is an excellent option to consider.
The details of my experience are here:
I got lucky and ended up with an instrument on par with a higher-priced, hand-crafted instrument. And like with another custom horn I once owned, over time I continue to learn new things from playing on it.
To lacquer or not to lacquer
At Day 145 the horn’s complexion has taken on a darker, brassy hue. A rustic patina grows on its skin.
I should mention that prior to this conversion my horn was fully lacquered. I really like shiny horns, purely for the aesthetic sheen. Shiny horns reflect light and look really nice onstage.
Sometimes though with my old lacquered bell, the polished surface would get very slippery when wet with condensation or even worse, with valve oil. That was horrible.
After 145 days my newly un-lacquered horn has now been played and tested in symphony, opera and chamber music settings. The tone feels warmer and freer than before, and I imagine that having the lacquer removed had a hand in that transformation.
And with the right hand especially, the crustier surface is much easier to maintain a grip upon.
Response and control
One of the major adjustments for me was that the upgraded horn felt faster. In other words, the overall response felt much quicker and more sensitive to phrasings shaped and controlled with the breath.
This observation hits on a key element that, generally speaking, separates most stock instruments from hand-built or customized horns.
Think of how an automobile responds to fast turns, rapid accelerations and hard-braking. High performance vehicles make challenges like these much easier for the driver to execute and to take advantage of.
It is response and control that separate good cars from the great cars; with customized instruments I would suggest that it is more-or-less the same idea.
Mouthpiece magic
As noted previously in Day 28, I took some time to experiment with different mouthpieces. I was caught in a cycle of several Moosewoods and an old Stork.
At about Day 40 I settled on old favorite, a D6 MegaMoose made by Tom Greer. I love the sound I get on this heavy-weight mouthpiece.
I actually own two of these beasties; one is annealed and the other is not. I have chosen the non-annealed version for the simple reason that it sits deeper in the new leadpipe.
The fit could hardly be any better and I took that as an omen that it was the right choice.
Hocus pocus & other imaginings
I noticed too how the beveled tapers of the Patterson leadpipe ferrule aligned with the taper of the MegaMoose mouthpiece.
It is almost eerie to me how closely it all lines up – with both the shank fit and the tapered thicknesses of the ferrule and the mouthpiece.
(Click on any image for a closer look.)
I pretend to myself that this convergence was somehow destined. I imagine it as a bonding of mystic Southwestern powers: Patterson and Moosewood. It is a marriage that embodies my horn with a cosmic desert spirit.
Perhaps I should name my horn… something like Desert Wind or Cactus Flower…
Beer-bottle logic
Then again on second thought, I take a deep breath.
I pause to recall another “magical” convergence, one that shines light upon this metaphysical fantasy.
I am sure that almost every college horn student who has consumed beer from a bottle has had the same epiphany at one point or another.
Upon discovery, the wild exclamation – of pure amazement – typically goes something like this:
HEY GUYS!! WOAH!! You ever notice how the rim of a beer bottle feels … JUST LIKE A FRENCH HORN MOUTHPIECE?!
Aesthetics and facts
The point of this story being that with anything that is based purely on anecdotal evidence, it is a good idea to take it all with a grain of salt before drawing any foregone conclusions.
This all being said, I do know of several respected, in-demand instrument makers who profess a connection between the aesthetic beauty of a finished instrument and its playing quality and potential.
Certainly, my new horn has given me plenty to think about.
