Many professional quality trumpets are sold with a reverse lead pipe option. What's the story? Does it really help? Anyone had any experience with this?

Thanks

Well a reverse lead pipe basically makes the trumpet more free blowing since the air is not hitting the tuning slide like it normally would. So the sound is a little more mellower i guess. Having a reverse lead pipe will change the sound and overall feel to the horn. I do not own a trumpet with one, but i have played one before, and you should try it yourself and see the difference.

With a reverse leadpipe the leadpipe is not really reversed.

They take the top part of the main tuning slide and flip it so it is now male instead of female the tube is soldered to the lead pipe instead of the crook of the tuning slide. This allows the air to fall off the lead pipe into the instrument instead of the air hitting the tunning slide "ledge" which technically causes more spliting in the sound. There is less resistance and in theory a second venturi (although very very slight). It will give the instrument a more open feel.

I believe Schilke makes all of their instruments standard with a reverse lead pipe now.

It is still a maater of preference. It will feel different to you, but don't think it is the only thing tha tmakes trumpet sound good. Obviously there are a hundred different everythings on the whole instrument and they all combine to make it just perfect.

My primary instrument has a reversed leadpipe/tuning slide. And I love it.

Thanks for enlightening me.