I am now happy to announce the arrival of my conversion 667, an affordable option for people not in the market for a top of the line custom horn. Many makers have worked on modifications of this horn, but none have taken it quite so far. My conversion takes a stock 667 and converts it into a horn that enjoys the sound and feel of a hand-made custom horn at a fraction of the cost! The cost of this build includes a new 667 which I will order with the specs needed for a successful conversion.

I feel that the 667 is the best stock Geyer style horn out there with the fewest mechanical issues and good workmanship. The layout of the valves is great and it is put together in a way that makes it easy for me to work with.

The conversion targets a couple of common issues with the 667. The first is that playing at A=440 requires the main tuning slides to be pulled over an inch. This causes a gap at the bottom of the tuning slide and increases the distance between bracing points. A solution for this is to add that length to the new branches and after conversion, the pulls are less than half an inch.

Secondly, the way that the short F branch is bent causes internal stress on the main F tuning slide. On many 667s, you must squeeze the outer legs together in order to get the slide back in after emptying. I have another post about that here. The conversion rebuilds that branch to make the slide pull nice and smooth and also to release that tension.

Additionally, the new F branch is bent in order to allow for long solder joints to be added between the F branch and the 1st branch. I also introduce some hard tubing to give the horn better “grooves” or “slots”. The new mouthpipe give nice interesting colors to the sound while increasing the security in the high register.

The base conversion involves:

  1. Stripping the instrument of lacquer
  2. Hand lapping the valves and slides for smooth action
  3. Cutting the bell with an Alexander compatible ring
  4. Adding a brace to the first branch/ bell connection
  5. Rebuilding and lengthening the F side (short and long branches)
  6. Adding long solder joints between long F and first branch
  7. Installing a new longer Medlin mouthpipe with Amado waterkey
  8. Testing and balancing the instrument.

Extras that are available for an additional cost include:

  1. New Medlin bell flare
  2. Adjustable pinky hook
  3. Clebsch strap
  4. Rebuilt thumb lever which includes an adjustable paddle.

New orders are added to the wait list in the same fashion as the double horns. No deposit is necessary however the balance is due in full before the horn is started. The build takes approximately 1-2 weeks.