'CarolBrass’ Instruments - Reviews

[trumpethead]

In the interest of helping others (NOT for advertising) who just may be interested in these CarolBrass horns as I was/am, I thought I'd post my reviews of the three instruments I now proudly perform on.

Upfront, I declare that I'm an endorsee of CarolBrass which was kindly and gratefully brought about with the help of Shawn McKenzie (ZMan) www.trumpetgear.co.nz

Some of you might be wary of these reviews because of my association with the company, but these are my honest opinions of these instruments, which I just LOVE performing on.

Hope this may be of help to some and I plan to include some sound-bites in the immediate future.

Carol 500T Trumpet

I’ve been a professional trumpet player for nearly 3 decades, am always striving to become better as a performer and the equipment I play on is of critical importance.
Having played, owned and loved some truly great instruments during this time, I consider myself extremely fortunate to have found a set of horns that I don’t just love performing on, but ones which make me smile every time I do so.
My Carol 500T Bb trumpet reminds me of the many great Calicchio’s I used to own…, only better!!
I don’t just state, “This is yet another great trumpet”, but I’m saying.., “Wow! This horn is perfect for me and makes music even more enjoyable... and easier too!”
This is certainly a commercial bright-sounding instrument, not nasally or harsh, but with a beautiful rich core to the sound. Like any instrument, mouthpiece choice will make a big difference in tonality.
Intonation is impeccable, the stainless steel valves super-fast and the quality of workmanship is superb.
What really impresses me most of all with this trumpet, is its fantastic responsiveness - the sound has a sparkling aura when pushed, and a beautiful richness to the middle register. You don’t need super lungs to make it sing, just a gentle airstream and POW; the note’s immediately right where you want it to be, without locking in too much.
This trumpet really does make playing music so much easier for me, and not only have my audiences noticed and commented, but my peers in the music industry have as well.
That is what a great playing trumpet can help do for you too.

Carol Pocket Trumpet

I’ve played and/or owned so many different brands of Pocket trumpets, among my favourites being the Benge, Calicchio and Pocket Max, with the Jupiter deserving of mention too.

With all the other wonderful attributes of the Carol pocket trumpet, perhaps the most important thing to mention is - that it plays in tune!!
The tonality has a beautiful richness, responding better for me with a deeper mouthpiece, making it more akin to a Cornet sound, rather than a bright trumpet one.

The brushed lacquered finish on my horn is a real head-turner, with not one gig gone by where someone hasn’t commented on how beautiful this horn looks and sounds.

The stainless steel valves are beyond reproach and couldn’t imagine them being any better. Workmanship is equally superb as with my other Carol instruments, and the case it comes in is very impressive too.

Most importantly, it not only plays and responds like a full-sized trumpet, but did I mention – it plays IN TUNE!!


CarolBrass Flugelhorn

I’ve purposely waited a few weeks before writing this review, playing the horn on many different gigs, in different environments, acoustical situations etc.., to see if my initial impression of this CarolBrass Flugelhorn, was still an accurate one.

I have the brushed lacquered version which is visually really beautiful. That in itself has drawn immediate attention from all who see it.

The valves are just brilliant; fast, quiet and incredibly smooth. In fact, I couldn’t imagine any instruments’ valves being any better.

The sound of this Flugel is a typically deep, resonant, rich one, and as always, mouthpiece choice will alter this to some degree.

The horn comes with two leadpipes which is a brilliant idea.

What is most impressive for me, that which puts this Flugelhorn above any other I’ve owned or played, is its responsiveness. The notes seem to be effortlessly drawn out with only a gentle breath and are right where you require them to be, without any manipulation. This is a little difficult to explain yet ‘effortless’ is an apt word in this instance.

I’m primarily a small group jazz performer and playing fast passages is really so much easier with this Flugel – the notes aren’t sloppy, articulation is superb and effortless, all combined with this gorgeous sound.

I’ve yet to play a better Flugelhorn, regardless of price.


Peter Uppman – Melbourne, Australia

[BedfordTrumpeter]

Thanks for giving us your perspective, Peter. I recently bought an old-logo 506R, and I've been blown away. Here's my recent rave review: http://www.trumpetherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=106873&highlight=

Now I'm counting my spare change, hoping I can add a CarolBrass flugelhorn to my arsenal. I like my Jupiter, but the valves are not anywhere close to the same league as my Carol trumpet.

Cheers,

Paul
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CarolBrass 658R Bb | CarolBrass 506R Bb | CarolBrass 4000 C | Yamaha 631GS Flugel | CarolBrass 6882T Bb Cornet | Besson 60MD D/Eb | CarolBrass 7770F Picc. | Curry & Reeves mpcs
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http://www.bedfordbrassquintet.com

[trumpethead]

I've owned a Jupiter Flugel too and it's an excellent player, but I'm more then extremely confident you will prefer the CarolBrass one.

For me, there's no comparison.

[Capt.Kirk]

I envy you I have not laid a hand on the flugels yet..... I also have not gotten a hold a pic yet either but I am not a pic player so all I could do would be to goof around with it!

What I like about CarolBrass is that they did not just say "Hey lets knock out some Bach clones and go after the soft market!" No they took the time to look at each leadpipe profile and bell profile and said " How can be make this better then it is right now!" then they did it! SO seriously my all time favorite trumpet was a custom Bach that had a heavy gold brass 72 bell and a non-standard leadpipe. It was one of those rare trumpets that just had that magic in it and it sang........Most Bach's though do not sing to you they are 1 in 10,000 that just seem to have that magic in them........I think Carol Brass has gotten closer then anyone one else to catching that "magic" and building it into their version of Bach bell and leadpipe profiles. I am sure all of us have played at least one vintage horn that just seemed to sing and play better then it out too.....Few production horns have that. So when I say that Carol Brass are what I imagine Vincent Bach, Benge or Reynold Schilke would be building today if they where still alive I mean that as the highest of compliments because all of these men where Pioneer and Visionaries for their time in this industry and I think all of them would have continued to tweak their products not just keep churning out the same old stuff unchanged for 50+ years etc......

I know what the Bach sound is and the conventional Carol Brass designs have a very Bach like sound but they can go beyond that easily if you turn them lose. I like that you mentioned the MP selection making a big impact because I have noticed that and include that as well. In my book when a horn responds dramatically to MP changes it means that the leadpipe and bell choice are matched very well. When a horn sounds the same or close too it with radically different MP's that is in my book an indicator that the horn and leadpipe are not well matched.

As for response their are two different version of this and I like the latter version. You can make a horn super light so it gives insanely fast feedback to the hands and lips which has nothing to do truly with response and is really an indicator of how much energy the horn is loosing and then you have how quickly the horn does what you ask of it at the bell end. This latter response is a better indicator of response baring a bell so thin that it wrinkles just looking at it normally this means more energy from your lips is staying in the horn and reaching the bell before being reflected back.....Not only does this make the horn feel easier to play it also makes it project better. The trick is striking a balance make it too effiencet and it gives poor feedback and feels dead to people make it give to much feedback and you can not play your way out of wet paper bag because you have no projection but fantastic feed-back and sizzel but no one past row three will ever hear you! This is why I do not really believe in a horn being too light or too heavy they all have their place some where but the better balance you strike up front the more often people will like the horn. This is also why no one horn can really do it all well their will always be some area where a given horn is a weak choice.

Personally I am dieing to try their C trumpet after the few reviews from really good players I have read about it. In my book the dumbest thing any company can do is copy a competitor so closely that they copy their flaw's! So I am really excited to see what CarolBrass has done with Bach profiles and their own ingenuity to improve the breed!
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The only easy day was yesterday!

[etc-etc]

Which dealers are selling CarolBrass cornets in USA?

[Zman]

Peter,
Thanks for the kind words.

For those who want a quick snapshot of how one of the Carol Flugel's sound.
Check this link out:
http://www.trumpetgear.co.nz/CarolBrass-Flugelhorn%20demo1-Terry%20Townson.mp3

Check my blog for more info/clips etc.
(Including an exclusive compilation featuring Trombone, Piccolo, Flugel & Trumpet)
Sample flugel playing is Terry Townson (Carol Brass Artist)

Regards,
Shawn (Zman)
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Martins:
HC Committee #2
HC Imperial #3 LB & #4 XL Bore
Deluxe Committee Bb, C & Eb
Taylor Chicago II Lite
Yamaha 8335LA

www.thebrasscellar.com
www.facebook.com/thebrasscellar
www.youtube.com/channel/UCZk1sIuyVsQzrbsl7HfIfKw/

[trumpethead]

Very raw, unaltered, no reverb, sound bite using my Carol Flugelhorn.
Done with a 'Flip' camera so audio certainly could be better. Never done this before so hope it works out

Free MP3 download: CarolBrass 6200GSS Flugelhorn.mp3

[Paul.Trumpet]

I went through a pile of Carol trumpets.

The 500T arrived first, the build quality was fantastic and it seemed more versatile than the 8310Z with a rounder tone. Very easy playing. Nice high register. Blew very tight for me.

The 506R-LL large bore soon replaced the 500T and also displaced my main Bb of the time, a modified Getzen 3050S. Big tone with a laser edge. Very flexible.

The 628R replaced the 506R-LL. This has the twin tube leadpipe. It does not give much feedback to the player in a small room and is actually ferociously efficient and loud. A fat wall of sound.

All three horns had amazingly good valves and build quality. So good, that one could assume all samples do not vary much and buying without playing first is safe. The only thing you may need to do is ream the receiver in slightly, the gap seems setup for yamaha mouthpieces.

I took a month off playing with lung problems and had sold the 628R. Off Ebay UK I bought a B&S (JA Musik Germany) patterned Bach copy trumpet and its technically worse but sounds better. I've already owned the same trumpet twice before, called Challenger 1 or Courtois AC522. Samples vary, I've got the good one....exactly like the Bach its based on. If I had not been ill (and on a tighter budget) I would never have tried this trumpet again.

One Carol trumpet remains an enigma - the carol pocket 400 C. I tried one and could not get the tuning leadpipe in far enough to pitch, otherwise the tuning was literally amazing. So was the sound. It looked like a pocket C bugle to me. It was almost great.

[KingSilverSonic]

[nordlandstrompet]

[KingSilverSonic]

That's good to know. As the guy from Memphis used to say, "Thank ya, thank ya vury much!"
_________________
Richard

Lawler C7
Burbank Benge C
Calicchio 1s/2
King Symphony 20 DB and Silver Sonic Cornet
Lawler flugelhorn
Member: Bugles Across America

[Capt.Kirk]

If you do not like working with highly concentrated cleaner like Castrol Super Clean then get some 409 from the Grocery Store or some Simply Green these are like Castrol Super Clen's formula only about 1000 to 100 parts more water to every part cleaner.... None of them will hurt Monel, Nickel Silver or Stainless Steel Valve. They do an excellent job cleaning the junk out of the pores in the metal. I normally take my pitons apart so no corks or felts are on them then drop them into a glass of 100% cleaner for about 15-30 minutes. I wipe then down and repeat......

I use a bore brush for the inside of the valve bores and I spray some cleaner in to them directly. I scrub them well from the top then from the bottom. I normally put a cup of Purple Concentrated degrease in the bath water.

I snake everything and clean all the slides etc..... then rinse with cool water......The warm water in the tube is about the same as I would use on a baby so it is not too hot for lacquered horns.

The valve soak and bore cleaning works regardless of the material they are made from!

Most distributorship in the USA of Carol products recommend UltraPure valve oil. I do not think it matter's really as long as you clean the horn well once a month. The tighter the fit of the valves the less junk buildup they will tolerate before they start to stick. The faster an oil evaporates the more heavy junk it leaves behind with each reapplication.
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The only easy day was yesterday!

[BedfordTrumpeter]

I'll give a little plug for Ultra Pure valve oil here. A bottle arrived with my new Carol horn, and I decided to try it on my Jupiter flugel, which has been getting Al Cass oil until now.

What a difference! They feel like different valves, and it's even made a difference in my sound: With the old oil, I was getting a slight "pop" or "poof" sound between notes when playing a slurred line. I was getting close to trading my flug for another model, but the noise is gone with the Ultra Pure stuff. I just came back from a brass band gig with my flugel, and it played like a different horn. The valves were much smoother, and I didn't even apply fresh oil today.

Tomorrow I'm heading to my local shop to buy a few more bottles of Ultra Pure. My collection of 4-5 Al Cass bottles will be used up on my old Besson cornet, which seems to run smooth no matter what oil I use.
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CarolBrass 658R Bb | CarolBrass 506R Bb | CarolBrass 4000 C | Yamaha 631GS Flugel | CarolBrass 6882T Bb Cornet | Besson 60MD D/Eb | CarolBrass 7770F Picc. | Curry & Reeves mpcs
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http://www.bedfordbrassquintet.com

[WorldWideWebDotCom]

Hello Gentlemen,
The older 3 digit Carol trumpet models such as the 500T came with a valve oil from a company called Slide-O-mix from Dusseldorf Germany. They discontinued the use of this oil just after they introduced their new CarolBrass trade name and 4 digit models. All CarolBrass horns now come with the Ultrapure oil and the results have been fantastic. It was an excellent decision to switch. I have been using Ultrapure pn all my horns for years with fantastic valve action with little to no build up. I also swab out my valve casings, wipe down the valve pistons, and re-oil every 2 weeks to be sure there is no build up. Nothing is more embarrassing than a performance where you are playing your heart out, and you have an equipment malfunction !
Regards,
Dean
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Dean Taylor
WorldWideWebDot.Com Trumpet Specialties
Authorized CarolBrass Dealer

[so55]

Dear Peter
I had bought my Weril flugel after a private correspondence with you and I really loved its light and fluffy sound. Would you please make a comparison between Weril and Carol flugels?

[Capt.Kirk]

Yes, the oil changing the sealing or leaking depending on if you are glass half full or empty sort will alter the play-ability of the horn. This is why people with heavily worn valves seek out heavier oils to good result. If you have two oils of the same viscosity but one has a better film strength, better wetting and less evaporation the valves will feel just as fast but leak less and you will need to re-oil less often.
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The only easy day was yesterday!