Questions for alto trumpet owners

[scarface]

I picked up a German-made alto trumpet recently. Not a great instrument, but decent enough for why I got it, which was for low range development. The low open concert eflat and several notes below jump right out of it without any chop manipulation, so it’s great to warm up and down on. I went from a 1 1/4C to a Curry 5BC, so the pedal reg is a challenge.

Questions:

What kind of alto trumpet do you own? Do you play it regularly, and do you find that it helps in any way on the other horns?

So far, I’m finding that it does, possibly due to the greater resistance? Appreciate your thoughts, and curious why you keep the alto around.

[joevandal64]

About 30 years ago I bought a 1954 Holton Alto Trumpet in E flat. It is a toy. Once per year I use it for our community's annual Christmas Tree lighting. I will play one of the E flat harmony parts to give more "middle" to the group's sound. I use a Bach 9 AT mouthpiece. I had a machinist friend cut down the shank of the mouthpiece so it gives a better fit and intonation. I think you would find the Bach 9 AT a better solution than a trumpet mouthpiece. The Holton is a good horn, unfortunately, not many write parts specifically for this instrument.
Joe Vandal
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Several trumpets and cornets.

[THE BD]

I have a Conn 50B alto trumpet. In the decade I've had it, I have had exactly... zero gigs that call for it.

It's a bit stuffy to play and not very inspiring, even after taking it apart and more or less blueprinting the whole horn.
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Martin D Williams

Yeah, I did that!