Why a dual bore trumpet ?
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With the recent addition of the King Super 20 trumpet to my collection, I never had reason to discuss the subject of a dual bore.
The King is the only large bore horn I own, other than a Conn 5A .485 bore cornet. The King boasts (? ) a dual bore measuring .464 to .468. The King takes a little more effort to play than my other ( mostly Medium Large Bore ) trumpets, but not in a significant way.
So the question is, Why A Dual Bore ? Does a dual bore make a large bore a little easier to play than a normal large bore trumpet ? Since I don't own another normal large bore to compare the King to, I have no way to know the answer to my question.George
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All trumpets have "multiple" bores. The leadpipe "average" is a start. Then the valve cluster, and then the bore up until the bell flare starts.
A good example of Dual Bore would be every trumpet with a reverse tuning slide.I believe that the dual bore was simply a further marketing term for technology that makes a trumpet ever more cornet-like. Real trumpets in the traditional sense were cylindrical except for the bell and mouthpiece. Over 60% of the bore is cylindrical in this case.
The first valved trumpets were the longer natural instruments with valves. As the instruments got shorter (solely for the purpose of more accuracy - never because of tone), the proportion of tapered to cylindrical bore shifted with less than 50% and "modern C trumpets" are lucky if they are ⅓ cylindrical - now they are more members of the horn family.
So, the King dual-bore does not make large bore easier playing or medium bore bigger sounding. It is a marketing term that has not survived the test of time. If you find a good one, it is simply another old trumpet worth playing. -
What you are saying seems to make perfect sense to me. Thank you for taking the time to reply.
George
