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Mark VI bow modification

jbtsax

Distinguished Member
Distinguished Member
I have heard about this but have never seen one first hand. This is a 208XXX Mark VI alto that I overhauled for a customer. Play testing revealed that the bell notes were in tune and there was no hint of a "warble". Apparently the "patch" in the bell bow works.

Closeupofpatchsolderedinsideofbow.jpg
 
I've had the same Mark VI alto (240XXX) since the early '80s. It has never warbled, and is 100% in tune. Now you have me curious to know if my horn has one of these in it.
 
I've had the same Mark VI alto (240XXX) since the early '80s. It has never warbled, and is 100% in tune. Now you have me curious to know if my horn has one of these in it.

It's easy to pull off the low C key and see.
 
The Champaign cork in the bell works as well for me, and is of an unpermanent form. I've also tried the mouthpiece cap, but too many rattles for my taste.

Unfortunately, you do have to drink the stuff once it is uncorked, and we don't drink (or at least I don't, and she doesn't like wine), so I never have one when I need it. Fortunately, in the venues that we play, someone has always popped a bottle open, so I can get one when I really need it (with a borrowed tenor, for example).
 
I'm pretty sure we had a post here, someplace, that mentioned a different Mark VI bow mod. In this case, it was a spoiler on the bottom of the bow. I can't find it, ATM, so I might be hallucinating ....
 
I'm pretty sure we had a post here, someplace, that mentioned a different Mark VI bow mod. In this case, it was a spoiler on the bottom of the bow. I can't find it, ATM, so I might be hallucinating ....

My understanding is that the ones done by Selmer were soldered to the upper side of the bend in the bow. It would make the patch unable to be seen by looking into the bell unlike one at the bottom. Acoustically it shouldn't make a difference so long as the volume in that area is reduced by an equal amount.
 
Yes. At Selmer Elkhart, the piece of sheet metal was soldered in place before the horn was lacquered. If you do that to a lacquered Selmer, especially with Selmer air-dry lacquer, it will burn the lacquer, even though the heat is applied from the inside. I have successfully soldered in this piece on my own silver plated Mark VI, but when I install one on a lacquered horn, I use Armstrong epoxy. I've never seen the bottom bow insert on a Mark VI assembled in France.
 
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