Posted by Dale on March 08, 2002 at 11:17:50:
In Reply to: CC or BBb an "old dog" posted by John Cooper on March 08, 2002 at 00:45:31:
John,
It is quite possible to get a very large sound out of the 184 BBflats,
I played one for a few years and "to this day" regret having sold it!
In orchestra, and before I bought a Kaiser horn (I too thought I "needed"
a bigger horn) what worked well for me with my 184 was allowing the "sound
in my head" to focus more upon an "in-section" sound with the trombones.
While that IS quite different from the pillows and mass of sound many
favor in orchestral playing on the big works (like Tchaik 4) if the orchestra
has a reasonable-sounding group of low-strings, a consistent and blended
back row sound, especially in the trombone section is very suitable.
f.w.i.w. I do "not" see the CC 184s nearly as flexible for your needs,
despite my personal preference of 184s in general as relatively small horns.
Perhaps you should try adding a whole-step 5th valve and/or a 185/186 leadpipe
to your 184 before parting ways with it? I've even heard of people using
the older 186 bells on a 184, if you want to focus on your equipment
to satisfy certain playing situations, these are other alternatives
you may wish to consider. (oh, if you go with a bigger leadpipe, be sure
to have it soldered to the bell rather than "lifted" as that will help
to keep a darker tendency to the horns response---since thats what you're
after.
Regards,
dp