Get-A-Grip: Triumph and Disappointment

[Crazy4Tbone86]

Bought a Get-A-Grip a few months ago. I have a friend who swears by them and uses them on all of his trombones and bass trombones. I just got a new bass trombone, so I thought it was a good opportunity to give it a try with the new instrument.

I found that, even after bending it to make adjustments, the Get-A-Grip had three problems: 1. It would occasionally shift and block my thumb valve from fully engaging the F-valve. 2. It forced the far end of my left palm to project beyond the cork barrel. Thus, I was at risk of cutting my left hand when the lower slide entered the cork barrel. 3. I struggled to make the part that wraps around the inner slide (the part that is close to the male tenon) make full contact around that tubing.......it always seemed to be slightly askew. Thus, the constant shifting and instability of the entire grip apparatus.

After about two weeks of frustration, I gave up on the Get-A-Grip and tried an Ax-Handle from Instrument Innovations. The Ax-Handle works great and I feel very comfortable with it on my new bass trombone.

Still.......I don't like to buy something and have it sit around with no purpose, so about two weeks ago I committed myself to finding a way to use this Get-A-Grip. After experimenting with bending the device about 40 or 50 ways (using tools like bell stem mandrels, drum sticks and a wood-jaw vice), I finally got it to fit and work very comfortably on my Edwards large bore tenor trombones. It actually works well for both the straight horn and with the Axial attachment. That's the triumph!

Happy as can be that I am playing with this Get-A-Grip and my hand feels very comfortable, I am ripping through some technical exercises in the Bitsch and Blazhevich books. Then I notice something very alarming. The Get-A-Grip tends to make the articulations and response dead! It is especially evident on the straight trombone set-up. I asked my son to do a blind listen test (on straight trombone) and he noticed it too. His remark was...."the first time (that was the sample WITHOUT the Get-A-Grip) had more pop at the beginning of the notes."

The interesting thing about this experience is that I did not notice a change in articulation on my new bass trombone. Then again, I was never able to have the part that wraps around the inner slide make "full contact" when I was trying to make the Get-A-Grip to work with that horn. My hypothesis is that the Get-A-Grip has a the potential to dampen the vibrations of a trombone....especially if the tab that that wraps around the inner slide has full contact.

Has anyone else experienced any acoustical issues with the Get-A-Grip or similar grip accessory?

[conn88Hagmann]

It’s because there is almost 100g of steel wrapped around the instrument where the bell and slide meet!

Well done on the shaping!!

[2bobone]

In a previous thread about the new HAAG hand brace, I wrote :
" After reading the threads on Lexan valve caps, lightweight slides and use or non-use of a rubber slide bumper, is it realistic to add the weight of that device to the main bell brace ? If it is made of "Unobtainium" and has near-zero measurable weight it still will make a difference in the playing characteristics of the horn on which it is installed. A similar brace that I once tried could be marketed as a miracle "Timbre Alteration Device" with "Enhanced Grip Reinforcement". I know that Tomer Maschkowski uses a similar device but I think he needs it to tone down his monstrously huge sound !"
Yes ---- a heavy device placed almost anywhere on the body of a trombone will affect its performance. That goes for trumpets, French horns and tubas, too ! It's a cruel world out there !

[Crazy4Tbone86]

Considering that the Get-A-Grip has a higher weight ratio with the straight trombone, it makes sense that the impact is more profound.

[conn88Hagmann]

Our grip is laser cut steel, and comes in 2 weights. The standard weight doesn’t really affect the blow of the instrument. The heavy does.

https://calderpipsmusic.com/trombone-grip

[hyperbolica]

The Get-a-grip is aluminum covered with leather. The amount of contact with the leather is small compared to the amount of contact your hand would have in the same area. Because of the leather and padding, there should be little or no vibrational link between the instrument and the aluminum. Your hand would offer much more damping if it is directly gripping the instrument.

I don't think you need perfectly cylindrical U-shaped contact around the tube. 2 line contact like a V should be more appropriate and easier to achieve.

I can't play my bass without my Get-a-grip. It did take some adjusting which required a vise and a hammer, but I've used it on multiple horns. These things get a bad rap, unnecessarily, I think. There are horns I haven't been able to make fit without adjustments, but my Kanstul and Holton work great.

[ithinknot]

These things get a bad rap, unnecessarily, I think.

Yup, given the range of human and instrument measurements, and the complexity of the angles involved, I can't imagine not needing to modify them. (Which, if it's stiff enough to hold a shape long term, is a bit of an ordeal that most people probably can't or won't manage. Or it's easy to adjust but a bit flimsy.)

I made a couple of my own a while back. Of course it's a lot easier if you can get the shape right first, so that you can heat and bend to your satisfaction without wrecking the leather, and you can use stiffer materials than anything you'd send out to customers to tweak for themselves.

[Crazy4Tbone86]

The metal in my Get-A-Grip (I have been assuming it was aluminum) is MUCH, MUCH more rigid and difficult to bend than the metal in those Calder Pips Grips. When doing a fitting demonstration in those videos, conn88Hagmann was bending the grip effortlessly with his fingertips. When I was bending my Get-A-Grip, I was standing by my workbench and using most of my body weight to bend it around tools to achieve certain angles......not easy.

I have heard that Newell Sheridan has made some Get-A-Grips out of steel instead of the usual aluminum. I am wondering if I ended up with a steel model. Still, it definitely has an impact on the response. I could learn to play with grip on.....I just need to articulate about 10-20 percent harder when the grip is on my straight horn!

[Crazy4Tbone86]

These things get a bad rap, unnecessarily, I think.

I think the opposite. I have heard so many people praise the Get-A-Grip and CalderPips Grip. One of the purposes of my post was to show that it has been a struggle to make it work for me. If mine is made of steel instead of aluminum, that might be the reason for my struggles.

[Burgerbob]

I've never had this problem with mine. But, they definitely don't fit on all horns, or even match horns they fit on. That's why I use several different grip aids.

[conn88Hagmann]

The aluminium in a GaG is pretty thick. It took me a while to find the correct thickness for a trade off between mailability and strength for the Calderpips. . . . They have ranged between 1 and 2 mm but anything thicker than about 1.7mm is very hard to shape and almost impossible to adjust without tools. . . We ask what instrument you use to try and get a sender starting place for you, but it does take a little bit of trial and error to get it perfect.

I’ve also made them with varying thickness of padding and leather, as sone instruments need a very thin leather to not hinder the second trigger. The bottom line is that no two grips are going to end up the same. . . And inevitably you won’t manage to make it work perfectly for everyone.

We have just developed a trumpet grip for an amputee. . .

That was quite a challenge but it’s worked, we are also getting invoked with trying to develop some grips for a children's charity in Wakes who enable brass playing for disabled children. . . Everything will be bespoke and have to be conceived and fitted individually, but I’m hoping it will help make our little world accessible to people for whom it isn’t at the Moment. . .

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[Rrova]

I really wanted to my get-a-grip to work on my Bach 50 but it just doesn't. I have come to the conclusion that it just doesn't work well for those of us with big hands. At least on bass. I've found the brace Shires uses to be outstanding. I'm sure Bullet Brace/Ax Handle would be comfy as well.