Valve Springs
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Does anyone know if Bach sells slightly stiffer than normal valve springs? I can find standard and "light" replacement valve springs. But I would like springs that are just a little bit stiffer, faster, and less "mushy." I know I can try to stretch the standard ones slightly, but I would like springs that come from the factory just a little more "aggressive." Thanks.
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@Newell-Post
Check out Austin Custom Brass. I bought a Selmer trumpet from Trent that needed new valve springs and he provided a high speed set made by Brass Sound Creation. Talk about stiff... He has sizes that fit Bach horns, too. -
You are not the first person I encountered to ask this question. The answer, I believe, is no.
The maths and metallurgy for springs is complicated, and springs for instruments are a very specialised item, so I rather doubt you will find anybody to help you. Thus you will be left to DIY experimentation to try to fabricate a spring for the spring rate/force you desire. I shall be very curious to read your method and results.
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Until a very few years back, Bach did sell up to five different spring tensions (depending on model).
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@GeorgeB You know, I had a set of those "Sound Creation High Speed" springs lying around in my spare parts box that I bought a few years ago and never used. I put them in and couldn't tell much difference between them and a new set of Bach OEM springs. I have a "Pro Constellation" C trumpet I bought from a guy that has VERY stiff springs. I don't what those things are, but you really need to mash those valves. They are very fast and very reliable, but you gotta really muscle them.
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"Stiffer" and "faster" are two completely different things.
My experience is that the speed of the valve is based on mass, proper break in, correct oiling and freedom from aerosols/deposits - not spring tension. If any of these factors are not tightly controlled, we can have a stiffer spring, but no increase in performance. Stretching a spring offers no performance increase at all and the possibility that the spring is no longer true which would actually hurt performance.
That being said, I have never had a trumpet after cleaning and adjustment that was too slow with the standard springs. I did have a period where I wanted a stiffer feel - that actually made me more consciously bang the valves down.
Let us remember that there are two parts to valve action - first down, then back up. Stiffer springs can very well slow down the down stroke by increasing resistance to compression. Our fingers do not behave in a linear fashion.
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Rowuk Hath Spoken.
