Thoughts on Bell Size?

[EuphNC]

What are your thoughts on playing with an 11 inch vs. 12 inch bell?

[highpitch]

The bigger bell is easier to hit a music stand with.

Dennis

[RickF]

There's a discussion thread about bell size here:
Importance of bell size?

[davewerden]

It's important to keep in mind that what is normally quoted is the bell rim diameter. I have found that to make a difference (as you will see from the discussion in the link Rick posted above.

BUT...it is not the only factor in a bell's design. One example is the Adams I play. It is an E3 with a diameter of 305mm. The E1 I played before had the same diameter. But the E3 has a wider throat in the bell (I needed to pad my mutes to get them to fit). That gives it a larger sound than the E1.

As with other design specs, they ALL work together. Look at the much simpler design of a mouthpiece. I have tried on my mouthpiece pages to give a starting point for comparisons based on published specifications. Not all makers publish the same set, though. Rim diameter is always there, but throat diameter is not always there. And the backbore is very tough to spec. It generally tapers out from the throat...but how quickly? And is the taper linear, or more concave or convex? You'll only know if a mouthpiece is right by trying it, and the same is true with horns.

That is not intended to discourage such discussions, though! Bell size matters, especially in an all-else-being-equal situation.