Posted by Mike Parker on August 19, 2002 at 15:58:58:
Does anyone have any experiences they could share after putting a York or carbon fiber bell on a G-50?
I recently purchased a used CB-50 to use specifically for quintet playing. Most of the shows I play require me to stand as well as move while playing. Thus far I'm pretty happy with the horn but not too excited about the weight. Previously I had been using a Besson 983 and had few problems standing with it, (I'm switching to the G-50 because my tuba diet had quickly become high in Eb playing with very little time for CC tuba). With the CB-50 I should be able to use a tall tuba stand for most of our shows but will need to 'play in motion' for short periods of time.
I've got an old York monster Eb that has the same size bell as the Getzen. Since the York does me little good other than look pretty and collect dust I'm thinking about putting that bell on the Getzen. Has anyone tried this same combination? I realize that it won't be a huge reduction in weight but every bit counts at this point. I'm especially curious as to what the combination of two separate metals will do to the horn's sound and projection.
While we are on the subject- has anyone had any experiences putting a carbon fiber bell on the G-50? I've searched the archives but it's been a while since the topic has come up. Any new information would be great.
Thanks for your input!
Michael F. Parker