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Martin Committee vs. Conn Constellation. Which one?



 
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rbdeli
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 27, 2010 8:12 pm    Post subject: Martin Committee vs. Conn Constellation. Which one? Reply with quote

If you had to choose between the kind of Martin Committee Miles Davis played or a Conn Connstellation like Maynard played, which horn would you rather have?

Both horns seem to be outrageously priced on eBay auctions these days.
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tranqB
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 27, 2010 9:23 pm    Post subject: Martin vs Conn Reply with quote

Hey there....
Both great horns...Chet Backer could make the Conn horn breath some how...very cool.
I spent some time with my friend Chris Botti and usually end up talking about Martin Committees.
I have 8 Martin Committees and they all play a little differently. they range in years from 1939-1956.
The early pre WWII Committees are lighter and are much more in tune....sometime in 1943 they changed the water key to the side winder trombone style . These post WWII horns are a little heavier and can be slippery devils when it comes to slotting in. In my long playing career I've played a ton of horns...I just keep coming back to the original Martin. Roy Lawler makes a pretty close copy...but not as velvety and smooth as the original. Nothing beats the Martin (I never played a Monette so I can't tell you what they sound like]. The Callet Jazz is also an attempt to capture the Martin sound ...they have spot on intonation and are really sweet bugles. The B and S Challenger JBX is also a fantastic sounding horn with Martin like honey sound.
The 3 Constellations I play have the small bore that they are famous for..
The sound is mellow and they don't take much air to go above the staff.They stay in tune when they warmed up. They have a lot more back pressure feel so I use a Curry TF 1 mouthpiece which is flugel like with a big aperture. I have found the Constellation to be much less vocal of a horn [dynamics, loud soft, bright mellow] then the Martin. It also has that tiny bore which psyches me out and I tend to overblow it.
Hope this helps
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Robert Rowe
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 8:44 am    Post subject: Re: Martin Committee vs. Conn Constellation. Which one? Reply with quote

rbdeli wrote:
If you had to choose between the kind of Martin Committee Miles Davis played or a Conn Connstellation like Maynard played, which horn would you rather have?



I have several of each.

Entirely different horns.
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chapahi
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 9:07 am    Post subject: Re: Martin Committee vs. Conn Constellation. Which one? Reply with quote

rbdeli wrote:
the kind of Martin Committee Miles Davis played


What does that mean exactly? Those vintage horns on ebay have little or nothing to do with what Miles played on. For most of his career (Milestones, Kind of Blue, Bitches Brew, etc.) he played custom horns that weren't made for the public, especially during the RMC period.
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HERMOKIWI
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 9:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Although the Conn Connstellation Model 38B is a small bore (.438) horn it is externally huge with its extra wide wrap and 5 1/8" bell. Its external physical dimensions make it a handful in terms of just holding the instrument and the valve action is quite stiff, at least on my 1956 early model. The horn produces an extremely dark sound.

By comparison, my Martin Committee Deluxe (also a 1956 model) is lightweight, much easier to handle and produces a brighter sound.

They are both great horns but, overall, I prefer the Martin Committee.
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rbdeli
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 9:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Weren't several of Miles earlier albums played on a 1946-1949 Martin Committee? Thought I had heard that, anyway.

Maynard's early recordings were played on a Martin. You might think his sound has nothing in common with Miles but that is not entirely true. On some of those very early 50's recordings, you can detect a silky foginess in the lower register that is somewhat similar to Miles early sound. I assume that's when Maynard played a Martin before switching to the Conn where his tone became much brassier..

At any rate, My guess is we could ask 12 different trumpet players about the way a pro sounds on a particular horn and get 12 different opinions.
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hien peter
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 10:04 am    Post subject: a Reply with quote

MP & embouchure are 90%, accustics and room 5%,
the horn itself (supposed all the good ones) less than 5%.

All my instruments (also a MC-46) sound and play for me very different with the years
dependant on the used MP and the development of my embouchure.

Peter
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crzytptman
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 10:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Weren't several of Miles earlier albums played on a 1946-1949 Martin Committee? Thought I had heard that, anyway.

Maynard's early recordings were played on a Martin.


Dizzy as well.
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shofarguy
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 10:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've often read that both of these are "killer" horns. Well, I don't mean to be disrespectful, but all of these players you cite are, um,...dead. You might want to re-think this.

Brino
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crzytptman
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 10:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote


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kehaulani
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 1:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I played a Constellation in H.S. and college (UNT) and I presently have a Committee, ca. 1953. I would say that my Conn was darker and my Martin's sound is a bit standard, but with some complexity to it. I played a Schilke model H mouthpiece wiith the Conn and got a beautiful dark sound for "classical" music.

Regarding intonation, I would not say that it's a problem on the Martin, but rather that the horn has wider slotting. For some players and styles this is preferable because it offers more flexibility in playing with the pitch. This is probably one reason it was so popular with jazz players.

As I recall, my Conn had decent slotting and intonation except for the G above the staff, which was a bit sharp.
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supportlivejazz
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 5:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've never liked the Connstellation. Owned 28B (liked it best) and 36B, 38B and 38A. But that's just me. I know it's about personal preference. I didn't like them when I could buy them in nice shape for $400 or less. My Martin is another story I loved it from the very start... never changed my mind. I won't post what I paid for it... but I'll say it was very reasonably priced.
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