The Bullet Brace is a descendant from the Edwards Stegeman bar, an "L" shaped brace soldered onto the receiver of the valve section, which came into being from the requests of many players who wanted left arm relief from holding their instruments. The Bullet Brace helps redistribute the weight of the horn to the bigger lower muscles of the left arm. By redistributing the weight it takes the tension off the smaller upper muscles in the wrist region. Many people get an imprint in the fleshy part of their left hand from the weight of their horn. The Bullet Brace eliminates these pressures and relieves discomfort that can occur from holding the instrument over long periods of time.
Unlike the Stegeman bar, the Bullet Brace does not require heat or the use of a gas torch to install, so there is no chance of weakening the structure of the horn during installation. Additionally, a technician is not required for the installation, and the position can be easily adjusted afterwards. The Bullet Brace is machined out of solid aluminum, and is installed on the bell brace. These features help maintain the sound qualities of your instrument without dampening the its natural vibrations.
Wanting to make this bar something that every trombonist could attach to their trombone without the use of a torch was one of the goals Edwards set when they designed the Bullet Brace. To make something that would fit every player regardless of their hand size and eliminate the most stress while improving the players comfort was a large challenge to say the least. It took a few prototypes but the final design was a two-piece design that allows the player to mount the Bullet to the lower bell brace near the bell. The Bullet is mounted with the same allen wrench that works on the axial flow valve.
The Bullet Brace can be adjusted left or right, up or down on the bell stay to wherever the individual should desire. A black delrin rod is installed on the bar and can be left alone or a black piece of round foam (included) can be fitted for greater comfort. -the manufacturer/cdp