Just thought I'd add to the discussion on extensions. The mechanical ones seem to be gaining ground again here in the UK amongst both professionals and amateurs. I think this is due to the huge improvement in design of the Barnaby extensions. Unlike the old Fawcett ones, these have internal springs and are totally silent in operation. I used to have a Fawcett extension and they certainly do rattle. I then used a manual one for a while but it was no good for fast playing of low notes. Now I have a Barnaby extension and I really think that it is the best compromise (no way of getting low notes is ideal, is it!) The ones that Tom Martin has on his website are made by him but seem to be a direct copy of the Peter Barnaby ones.
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