[Trombone-l] Butler carbon fiber bells

[Craig Parmerlee]

I have been interested in adding a carbon fiber bell to my Edwards bass 
setup for a long time.  While I have not had any lasting shoulder or 
other joint problems, but I have known several bass trombone players who 
gave up playing early because of the ergonomics of the instrument.  One 
way to deal with this is through braces and other gadgets that make the 
instrument easier to hold.  I have used those for a long time.  Another 
way to address the problem is lighten the weight on the instrument, and 
carbon fiber is an option.

I made some inquiries 5-10 years ago and nobody was in a position to 
supply carbon components other than slides.  That has all changed 
recently, with Butler and some others leading in the expanded use of 
carbon fiber.  Butler is now making a complete carbon bass trombone (it 
still has a lot of metal in it, but is much lighter than traditional 
trombones.)  In my case, I wanted to keep my Edwards horn intact and 
change only the bell.  Butler is now able to do this, at least with 
Edwards trombones, and probably others.  They famously updated one of 
Doug Yeo's Yamaha trombones.

So I received my new Edwards-style carbon fiber bell last week. I'd 
rather not do a detailed report on an open Internet forum.  I can say it 
is well made.  It is about 1/3 the weight of the bell it replaced.  I 
don't notice the weight reduction as much as I feel the better balance.  
I never really thought of the original Edwards as particularly 
nose-heavy, but with the carbon bell, it seems to float on its own.  
Timbre is good, intonation is fine.  I notice no reduction in sound 
volume.  There are a few other differences, but I don't think they are 
any greater than the difference between a heavy or light bell or yellow 
versus red brass.  If anybody has a serious interest, I'd be happy to 
provide additional information and sound samples off list.


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