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- Plastics in History: The Fishing Lure. If you have seen It’s a Wonderful Life, you know George missed the boat on plastic windshields for aircrafts. Curbell didn’t.
- Now You See It, Now You Don’t: Guarding. A manufacturer purchased two new high-speed laser cutting machines. The units came with an expanded metal guard to keep the operators from coming in contact with moving parts while still allowing the user to see the work piece.
- Turn, Turn, Turn: Industrial Positioner. Think of your microwave turntable beefed up a bit. These are commonly used with hardened metal balls in a machined track for rotational purposes, or just sandwiched metal-on-metal.
- Look Out Below: Sheaves. High above the ground a wire rope is used on a crane boom to lift and place items mechanically. This hardened steel rope begins to fray when it starts to grind away at the hardened steel rope sheave.
- Should You Buy A Plastic Instrument to Start with?
- What Band Instruments Have A Version Made in Plastic?
- Plastic Brass Instruments
- Plastic Woodwind Instruments
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Plastic Band Instruments
- Approval by Music Teachers and Band Directors
- Cost of Plastic Band Instruments
The straight answer is yes, but might not be the right answer for everyone. That will depend on different factors, namely if the player is capable of taking well care of an instrument, their level, ambitions, where they play, and how much are willing to spend. Those are the circumstances that might influence a decision between starting with a plast...
Currently, you can find plastic versions of almost all band instruments. After the launch of the first “pBone” in 2010, in what was considered as the first recognized plastic wind instrument, manufacturers have been increasing their product lists with more alternatives made with this material. Nowadays, the most commonly known plastic band instrume...
Plastic Trombones
The reality of plastic band instruments came to life on a version of a trombone, called pBone. It lowered significantly the entry costs for buying band instruments, and nowadays, you can also find plastic trombones with F-attachment.
Plastic Trumpets
Practically right after the innovation done with plastic trombones, came a version of a basic Bb plastic trumpet. And with it, the possibility of choosing a variety of colors and finishes takes the personalization of an instrument into new levels, almost only depending on your creativity and imagination. Also important is the fact that you can use a “normal” metal mouthpiece on it, which increases the sound quality of the instrument itself. Currently, it’s a practice extended to other plastic...
Plastic Tubas and Euphoniums
The plastic versions of tubas are lightweight alternatives and less costly. Together with Euphoniums, it’s the type of instrument where a plastic version can be a real alternative or a secondary instrument. They can be useful for school players considering their lightweight, as well as the benefits they can have for performing outside, especially in parade gigs.
Plastic Piccolos
Together with plastic flugelhorns, plastic piccolos are a relatively recent addition to the family of plastic instruments. The plastic version of the similar instrument to the flutetends to get a warmer tone quality when compared to “normal” metal piccolos and ends up being a durable instrument. That fact can be ideal for using outdoors and for younger players that might also use them indoors.
Plastic Clarinets
Perhaps the one instrument that might not be as recent and innovative in terms of the use of plastic materials or composites. Clarinet models made from plastic or composite materials have already several years, but nowadays are being considered more and more, especially by instructors for younger kids that play the clarinet, but aren’t ready yet to use them in typical school band programs. Their price ranges up to around $150these days.
Plastic Flutes
If you think that plastic flutes might be only for beginners, then you might be surprised by the number of versions that are also being made targeting professional users. Such models can be worth more than $1000 and in contrast, entry-level plastic flutes made especially for beginners are around $100 to $150.
Advantages:
1. Durability:normally pointed as the main advantage for opting for a plastic instrument. Considering, how often a child might drop such an instrument, this is a great advantage when comparing for example to brass instruments, that might be damaged easier. For adults, you might consider this option when playing outside performances, instead of bringing your other more expensive model(s) 2. Lightweight: ideal for light practices and outdoor gigs. More comfortable for kids that play bigger inst...
Disadvantages:
1. Sound quality: despite not sounding as bad as you might expect, plastic isn’t as resonant as for example brass. When listening close enough, it’s possible to hear that the tone doesn’t match completely as to brass made instruments. You can get a fairly decent sound, some pointing to about 80% to 90% when compared to a brass similar instrument. If you had a metal mouthpiece, then the overall tone could get even closer. 1. Difficulty to match timbre, volume, and pitch:for some types of plast...
Despite that acceptance is changing since the first plastic instrument came to the market, there is still a normal resistance from band directors or music teacherswhen it comes to accepting plastic instruments in a band setup. Normally, students might be persuaded to find brass or metal alternatives instead, if they came with a plastic instrument i...
Plastic band instruments are significantly cheaper when comparing to the ones manufactured with brass, metal, or other types of materials. Prices will however vary depending on the brand, the quality, the level of players they’re aiming at, and the customization or personalization of the instrument itself.
Jul 17, 2016 · plastic euphoniums. Brass band instruments have been made in various metals for over 200 years and quite recently plastic instruments have started to appear on the market. There are now plastic cornets, plastic trumpets, plastic trombones, plastic euphoniums and now even plastic basses.
People also ask
Are all band instruments plastic?
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What is a plastic trombone?
Injection-molded plastic offers several advantages over metal components. Not only can components be made at a lower cost, but, for dispos-able ones, switching to plastic can even reduce sterilization requirements. Plastic components are lightweight and can also be color-coded, making packaging more efficient.
Tools and instruments that were once made of metal are now created from plastic to reduce weight, while still providing a high level of strength and stiffness. When high-temperature plastics are incorporated, components are able to withstand heightened disinfectant and sterilization demands.
Oct 1, 2006 · Injection-molded plastic offers several advantages over metal components. Not only can components be made at a lower cost, but, for disposable ones, switching to plastic can even reduce sterilization requirements. Plastic components are lightweight and can also be color-coded, making packaging more efficient.
Mar 15, 2024 · Nowadays, a number of marching band instruments are made of wood or plastic so that marching and playing are easier than carrying around what used to be heavy metal instruments. Recently, there have been some developments in plastic instruments as well, and some types can also be used in marching bands.
