How To Make a Screw-Rim Bell On a French Horn 

Here is a link to a video where I play the horn. After I am done repairing the horn, the owner is going to make a video of it being played. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1IXWSEstx5w.html

As a trombone player, I prefer that haha!

@@montagne8820 I am trombone player! My Shires is screw bell trb

Thank you. I have never flown with a large instrument, so I have only heard from others. Thank you for clearing this up. Art

If you have a large instrument like a cello, you don't have to purchase an entire airplane ticket for it. Yes, you will have to pay for an extra seat but it will not cost as much as your ticket (price will be a small percentage of the base fare plus a few taxes only). Likewise, an obese passenger can also pay for an extra seat for comfort. Since this is an additional service, you probably won't have the option to book this "extra seat" when you book your ticket online but you should be able to get it done through their customer service. Hope this helps !!

I agree. It warms it up some in my opinion. I do this to Elkhart 8Ds a lot, and in my opinion, doing a bell conversion along with stripping the lacquer gives them a much warmer, velvety sound than they had before. I prefer my horns with a screw bell rather than not.

Yes Greg I've seen it for trombones as well!

Yes, almost all screw-bell trombones are basses. I've also seen this done to trumpets and tubas.

@@Maddenhawk I've never seen a screw-bell trombone on trumpet, that sounds pretty interesting. Screw-bell tubas are more common when it comes to convertibles or 6/4 tubas, but since the body of the instrument is so massive in the first place I really don't see a benefit. (coming from a tuba player)

Absolutely yes. Most are made by a company called Marcus Bonna

That is a ring made by Gebr. Alexander, a shop in germany. Yamaha makes a ring, and Engelbert Schmid as well

Pope Horns has a ring for screwbell conversion made by Alexander a German company. It is on Pope's website and sells for about $100

I do not know where to find one for a trombone. Blessing is the only manufacturer who ever made a screw rim trombone but that was many years ago. Sorry I can’t help more.

No, I have never tried that.

The part is about $150 and the labor is around $200.

@@TheBrassandWoodwindShop that's a much better deal than what I've been quoted so for all I've been told is it's 500$ for any instrument.

The complete bell has more structural integrity and is less prone to deform when the solder and the ring cool.

A thin-walled tube like that is very hard to cut without damage. The sawblade can hang up on the metal and pull it out of shape instead of cutting. The ring reinforces the thin brass wall of the bell and prevents this.

Once, I saw a Pilzak (I am not sure that is the correct spelling) trumpet with a tunable bell rim which could be removed. Not exactly a screw rim, but similar.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WXuokefy8Do.html

I have a Getzen Custom from the 80's that the entire bell comes off from the factory. Has two support braces/joints and a bell joint, that you can swap bells with other types. I remember seeing them back in the early 90's at Jazz conventions wishing had one (as a kid) now as adult I do. BUT with all my searching can't find other bells for it. The screw off point though is not at top of the bell but closer to the valves. Though older I love it's tone compared to my Getzen (DEG) Custom 2000. On French Horn side, my mom's horn is an Finke which came with a screw on bell from the factory. It has amazing clear tone and power, with the classic sound you look for. It's bell though is much thinner than the one in this video and you could most likely punch your finger through the bell so I image there Finke designed it that way for easier transport + sound.

@@jasont659 Schilke was making detachable bells in the '70s, These instruments were used to change the pitch of the individual trumpets, D to E-flat, and F to G. As I recall, they were popular with the pros because they played beautifully. The bell attached to a tunable slide at the bottom outlet of the valve body, and a set screw system fixed the middle of the bell flare to the top of the valves. It didn't really save much space, and both the D/E-flat and F/G horns were pretty small to start with. Now, it looks like Schilke has gone to a four valve system with a fixed bell.

@@gregoryronnback2756 Fascinating Did not know Schilke did also. I do wonder if the detachable bell changes some of the tone quality it does. If you look 70's-80's with some of the greats during that period, they used such systems.