Posted by Lee Stofer on March 01, 2004 at 18:09:56:
In Reply to: Re: Thoughts on raw brass posted by Tom on February 29, 2004 at 14:37:33:
You have to weigh the options of what small difference in sound that there might be if lacquered (slightly darker, most likely), and the option of the instrument corroding and disintegrating at a faster rate without lacquer, but sounding just like you want it to.
If you don't care if your instrument lasts any more than 30-40 years, then lacquer is not important at all, unless you have an allergic reaction to bare brass. If you'd like to have the instrument last longer, I have encountered examples of instruments that were over 60 years old where the brass was basically still intact because of its lacquer job, even if the lacquer had turned dark and ugly. And, I have worked on 90+ year-old instruments that were still basically intact, metal-wise, because they were liberally copper-flashed, then liberally silver-plated.
I consider lacquer or plating to be an insurance policy for the instrument.
Lee Stofer