Medlin Horns

The Northeast workshop is in a few weeks and I am looking forward to meeting everyone up in that area.

It looks like, sadly, I will not be able to finish a new horn for the NE workshop so I am planning to bring the very first horn I ever made (the one I play on regularly). It is different than what I am doing now, but the sound and characteristics are similar and I think that it is important to bring at least something up to the New England area! I will also try to bring some bells that I’ve been experimenting with if the shipment arrives in time for me to install rings on them.

Its not ideal, but I am looking forward to meeting new friends and talking geeky horn stuff all weekend! Please email me ahead of time if you are coming and would like to schedule some time with me (preferably over food or beverage).

Some housekeeping items!

The current drop in the Euro rate has allowed me to adjust the horn price closer to where I would have liked to put it back in January. It took it a little bit longer to fall than I thought but it looks like the dollar to euro ratio is back to where its been the last few years.  The new rate is $8500.

I will include free shipping this year (to the continental US only) as well because its too difficult to estimate shipping rates and the weight of the box changes depending on what kinds of packing material I have to use. Once I have a good system in place, I’ll make a call about whether or not that will be permanent.

I’ve also decided to offer a small discount for college students who buy through their professor. I haven’t yet decided the official discount, but email me with questions!

I’ve had a pretty wild week, I’ve finished work on a heat treating technique for my bells which is having a nice improvement in response and color. I’ve also finished up another horn and am hard at work on a single Bb and a new double to show at a few regional workshops in March.

I thought I would share a few tips to keep your horn playing consistently from day to day and some possible tweaks you can do to change the sound in certain situations.

1. If you have a screw bell, make sure that you twist it on ALL THE WAY, all the time. Many times a bell has an extra 1/8 in farther to go once it stops on its own but you do need to turn it all the way. It may help to make a mark where bell and tail ought to line up so you can hit it each time you put the horn together. If the bell is not making solid contact with the horn, the horn will sound brighter and feel less stable than it actually it.
2. Same thing with the mouthpiece, make sure that you are putting it in the same way each time. Try not to put an excessive twist to crank the mouthpiece in. It may help to make a mark on the mouthpiece to make sure that the depth and the orientation is the same. One problem with horn construction is that over time the mouthpiece tends to rub inside the mouthpiece receiver and work its way deeper into the leadpipe. This will cause the horn to take on a “fluffy” quality (thats the only way I can think to describe it). If this is happening to you, put a very small piece of masking tape around the mouthpiece and see what happens.
3. Make sure that all the valve caps are tightened. A loose valve cap can change the quality of the sound and make things brighter. This can be used to your advantage if you are playing loud and want a brighter sound or if you need to play a high Bb at triple forte and feel like the horn is too tight to allow all the air to go through. Try experimenting with loosening a valve cap slightly and see what new sounds or techniques open up for you!

These are all very subtle things, but when you add them all together, they make a difference. While I’m sure there is a good scientific theory, I am more concerned with empirical testing to find out the real world effects and applications. Give these a try and let me know what you come up with!

I just want to wish everyone a happy, peaceful holidays!

And in the Christmas spirit, here is an excerpt from Messiah. (Trust me, you want to listen to the end…)

I will be reevaluating and repricing the horns based upon the last years data on costs and most importantly the Euro exchange rate. The new prices will take effect on Jan 1, 2010 and will reflect:

• The switch to Meinelschmidt valves and the associated increase in material costs
• The increase of the Euro from 1.2 to 1.5 US

I guarantee the price that was agreed upon at the time of ordering so this will affect only new orders placed next year. Orders already on the list or orders that are placed before the new year will be unaffected .

I got a wonderful opportunity to study an original Geyer from 1929 that was owned by Dr. Winter at Fresno St. and his sons. A special thank you to Prescott Winter for the opportunity!

The horn is in amazing condition and I took some very good measurements of the leadpipe that I hope to discover some things about. Its a magnificent specimen and a very nice playing old horn.

Here is an interesting question that was posted that I thought everyone might enjoy reading.

Hi Jacob,

Just stumbled on your website and enjoy reading your philosophies and about your horns. I’m curious about the Yamaha horn… What prompted you to open the venturi? I always thought Yamaha horns had already just about the largest venturis around. And the solder joints. Do they increase the perceived blow resistance of the instrument?

Like a lot of horn players, I’m curious about horn design, having tried many leadpipes/horns/mouthpieces, but haven’t been able to make sense of it all yet!

Greetings from NYC,
Aleks

Hi Aleks,

Since the answer is book length, I’ll just share with you what I think about horns in regard to those parts (long solders, leadpipe)!

I’ve played many horns that have uneven registers. By this I mean that as you go higher in the range, the horn “tightens up” and loses the ring in the sound. This causes squirrelly high notes and makes the upper range very hard to play (high Bb anyone?). I believe that the reason this happens in Geyer style horns is that the leadpipe venturi is too small. But, opening up the leadpipe sometimes turns the horn into a dump truck to play (very hard to be agile and direct with the sound). Many horn makers err on the side of a too small venturi and leave it up to the player to get around the problems in the upper range.

The second part of the equation is the long solder joints. The more that the horn is soldered together, the more energy it takes to vibrate the instrument. This gives the feeling of resistance without the unfortunate “backing up” of air that accompanies trying to fit a large amount of air through a small hole.

So! What we have are two sets of generalizations;

Large venturi= pro-More even horn, easier high range, con-not enough resistance to push against and loss of endurance/ focus in sound
Small venturi= pro- focused sound, quick response, con- very tight in the high range, slurs and too close together (intonation issues),

Braces= quick response, lots of ring in sound, no focus, pops in slurs
Soldered= slower response, more resistance, extra focus in sound, liquid creamy slurs

I pair a large venturi with long solder joints to get the best of every world. Nice easy high range with good intonation but still resistant and focused enough to push against and not get tired (or to play really loud).

CAVEAT! Everything must be BALANCED! Longer solder joints are not always better. It is the right venturi paired with the right solder lengths that make the horn sing. So don’t go at your horn with a torch and some solder and yell at me later…

These horns will deserve consideration when looking for a new instrument that will be easy to play and mechanically reliable while wanting to project a traditional horn sound.

New pictures up! I replaced the pictures on the horn specs page with a recent horn that shows the right proportions and any updated features.

I’ve also added more pics to the “How its made” tab that were taken while I built this past horn.

Enjoy!!

I’ve finally finished the FAQ/ policies tab. Feel free to look over it and let me know if there is anything confusing… or misspelled! This tab includes all the information about shipping procedures, returns, payments, everything I could think of. Send an email if you think of anything I’ve left off.