Advice for senior player

[jadickson]

One approach is to buy used instruments at a conservative price. The idea being, if you don't like the horn, you can just sell it and get your money back.

For example, get an un-damaged Bach Strad for $1500. If you don't like it, sell it on your local Craigslist to a high school kid. Marching band season is here and the kiddos need their silver horns!
_________________
Justin Dickson
Middle school band director. Still learning.
www.BandmateTuner.com

[Vin DiBona]

My thought are this.
Do not fall into the large bore horn philosophy. They are easier at first, but an intermediate players will have trouble above the staff in keeping your air constant.
Ask yourself what do the pros play? Bach, Yamaha, Schilke, Getzen, Jupiter, and other "simple" designs. They get the job done with the best results.
I also suggest a Trent Austin and other reputable dealers with new and used horns. There is no real need for you to spend over $3000 for a horn even if you can.
Here is another option for you. http://www.jaegerbrass.com/jaeger/Trumpets.html
The top of the line is near the maximum I suggest, but his Professional Model is very reasonable and all reports indicate these horns play very, very well
R. Tomasek

[Speed]

I've had the opposite experience. I find the high register easier with large bore trumpets. That said, I suspect there may be more than just the bore size that is responsible for my experience.

Take care,
Marc Speed

[dstdenis]

I'd also recommend Quinn the Eskimo Brass and Winds. I bought a brand new, never-played trumpet from him, and I was very pleased with the selection, price and service. He has a big inventory of new and used instruments, and he offers a 30-day return policy. He's an authorized dealer of Bach, XO Brass (Jupiter) and Yamaha, among others. (I'm not affiliated with the store, just a satisfied customer.)

As for which make-and-model instrument, here are three that I either own or have play-tested and would recommend you consider: Yamaha 8335IIS Xeno (own), XO Brass (Jupiter) 1602s (play-tested), and Bach Stradivarius 18037 (own).
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Bb Yamaha Xeno 8335IIS
Cornet Getzen Custom 3850S
Flugelhorn Courtois 155R
Piccolo Stomvi

[Speed]

We're seeing in this thread one of the great benefits of this website - the passing of solid information from more experienced players to a lesser experienced player.

One particular bit of good advice I'd like to expand on is the idea of looking at what the others are playing in the community band. Unless you play some different trumpets, you really don't get to experience the different feel and tonality of different instruments.

When I first stated, I was playing an Olds Mendez I inherited from my much older brother. Now, that's a pretty fabulous beginner trumpet, but I had nothing to compare it to. When my father accidentally backed the car over it, I had to look for another instrument.

The band director pointed me toward a Bach Strad. Several bandmates owned one. I played them all. I went to the nearest music store, which had several, and I played all of them. I told my dad I felt like I was blowing up against a brick wall. I really tried to like a Strad, and I played over a dozen of them. I liked the way they all sounded, but I hated the way all of them played, from a resistance standpoint.

Today, I don't think of an Olds Mendez as a particularly free blowing trumpet, but apparently mine was less resistant than the late Mt. Vernon and early Elkhart Strads I was trying out. Until then, it never crossed my mind that one brand of trumpet might "blow" differently from another brand of trumpet.

Long story short, I ended up with a nice second hand Getzen Severinsen, with its very, open blow.

What I learned from that episode was that I don't tend to like trumpets with much resistance.

I love the sound of a Bach Strad, and I have continued to try to find one that suited me from a resistance standpoint. I eventually play tested a 19037 Anniversary model, and immediately thought, "This is the most open blowing 37 I've ever played." I bought it, but ultimately wanted it to be more open, so I substituted a 25-0 leadpipe and a "C" shaped tuning slide, which opened it up nicely without adversely affecting the things I liked about it. A valve alignment, including a rotational alignment, made it perfectly enjoyable for me, though it still lacks the openness of a Bach Commercial Trumpet, a Selmer CG, Callet Jazz, etc.

I said all that to say this: the first step in buying a pro level trumpet is to figure out what characteristics we like and don't like. Personally, the resistance, or lack of same, is of prime importance to me, with the overall tonality being critical as well. The OP may or may not feel the same way.

I would suggest to the OP that he first determine if he is sensitive to resistance or not. A fast way to do that would be to get a feel for the resistance of his present trumpet, and play test one with the opposite feel. Ideally, one of the other guys in his community band will have such an instrument. For example, in my local community band, most of the trumpet players have Bach Strads, but one guy has a Schilke X3. A Strad and an X3 are pretty drastically different from a resistance standpoint. If the OP could play some horns with that much difference in resistance, I suspect he'd see pretty quickly which direction he should go. Once he knows if he likes resistant or open trumpets, I strongly suspect that several of the retailers already recommended in this tread would send him a pro level trumpet with a good return policy in case it didn't suit him.

From a design and manufacturing standpoint, others have already given excellent advice. There are great Bach, Yamaha, Getzen and Kanstul trumpets, as well as those from specialty outfits like Flip Oakes, Callet, etc. There are great dealers who are easy to work with.

Finding a high quality instrument from a good, honest seller with a good return policy is the easy part. Deciding the characteristics you want in that instrument is the hard part.

Take care,
Marc Speed

[spitvalve]

Wichita Band instruments has good prices and offers a 5-day approval period. I have purchased two horns from them in the past. I ordered two different model Bach trumpets to compare them and then returned the one I didn't want.

http://www.wichitaband.com/

Look at their home page under "shipping and ordering info." They carry Bach, Schilke, and Carol Brass trumpets, cornets, and flugelhorns.
_________________
Bryan Fields
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1991 Bach LR180 ML 37S
1999 Getzen Eterna 700S
1977 Getzen Eterna 895S Flugelhorn
1969 Getzen Capri cornet
1995 UMI Benge 4PSP piccolo trumpet
Warburton and Stomvi Flex mouthpieces

[tampa49]

Having made this search a few years ago and at the ripe age of 70 myself, and having played many horns, owned over 40 horns, if you want quality and playability,
Recommendations:
Kanstal ML size ,
Schilke all good horns except M series,
Getzen, great quality horns, good and reliable,
Benge horns ML size bore
If you can find a used Lawler get it.
Check out the Horntrader, Dillon Music, Schmitt music in Minneapolis.
Good Luck
_________________
Calicchio 3/10
Lawler 24B
Lawler 21B
Lawler C7
Lawler Model T in C
Yamaha 732 Bb
Benge Resno 5 Flugelhorn
Couesnon Flugelhorn
Member Bugles Across America

[JeffM729]

My recommendation would be to consult with your teacher and get a recommendation from him. He can make a more informed recommendation than anyone as to what pro model would be best suited to continue your progress on the instrument.

[Brad361]

Maybe I missed this, but did anyone mention the sellers who offer at least a limited trial period? Shipping horns back and forth is neither convenient or cheap, but LOTS of us live in areas where local choices in horns is limited. I remember buying only one horn from a local dealer in the past 20 years, it’s either buy from a trustworthy on line dealer, or settle for what you can find locally.

Brad
_________________
When asked if he always sounds great:
"I always try, but not always, because the horn is merciless, unpredictable and traitorous." - Arturo Sandoval