Developing a historic bell for the BfB Baroque™ turned out to be a long term project. What's now evident is that we got lucky with the original bell, now referred to as the "classic bell" which incorporates a modified modern bell and leadpipe into the design. The BfB classic bell plays well in all ten keys offered, from the lowest to the highest, but doesn't work as well without vents (as a natural trumpet, unless using handstopping) and presents a more orchestral timbre than many historic replicas.
Our aim therefore was to find a historic bell profile that works with the BfB Baroque™ configuration - a bell that responds well with and without vents, in all ten keys, with a baroque mouthpiece receiver. What we ended up with is a bell nearly identical to the profile of J.L. Ehe's trumpet dated 1710.
Developed in collaboration with Nikolai Mänttäri and Miles O'Malley, the BfB historic bell is handmade in Chicago, IL with an engraved garland, Baroque mouthpiece receiver, and tapered leadpipe. An adaptor for modern shank mouthpiece is included so it can be used with any BFB Brass™ mouthpiece. The best part is that it's only a few hundred dollars more than the classic bell, reflecting our commitment to affordability and accessibility.
Choose "Historic" under "Bell Style" option on store page to see pricing for each package