Any experience of Getzen Eterna 896 (4 Valve) Flugelhorn

[royjohn]

I have one of the old Getzen 4 valves, which I've rarely played and I didn't know about all those low notes below the C. I'll have to get the horn out again and play with it.

I would advise the OP and anyone else planning to get one of these to try it out first and perhaps compare it to a typical French type 0.411-0.413" bore horn. I have a Couesnon stencil horn in addition to the Getzen and I did have an Olds Super Star that I gave away to a young friend. Both the Olds and the Couesnon have a very different timbre to my ear from the "tromboney" Getzen. The bore on the Getzen is 0.460" if I remember right, so it is a completely different design from the Queenie type horns and sounds pretty different. Darker and more trombonish...still mellow, but not light and lyrical like the Queenie. I was surprised that one of the posters here described it as a typical mellow flugel sound, because to me it's very different.

Both types are good for ballads, but they are different sounds. At one time I was going to choose one and sell the other, but I decided I liked both of them, so I keep both. But YMMV and if you are expecting a typical flugel, it ain't that.
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royjohn
Trumpets: 1928 Holton Llewellyn Model, 1957 Holton 51LB, 2010 Custom C by Bill Jones, 2011 Custom D/Eb by Bill Jones
Flugels: 1975 Olds Superstar, 1970's Elkhardt, 1970's Getzen 4 valve
Cornet: 1970's Yamaha YCR-233S . . . and others . . .

[huntman10]

I got mine 50 years and 3 weeks ago! So I am prejudiced. I also have enormous hands and big shoulders, so no problem holding it! I used it playing a few cello solos on my senior recital back about 1975 or so. That 4th valve made it happen, quite well. A few weeks after I got it, I was playing it in a little pizza bar band rehearsal, and there I met the girl I married 49 years and 2 months ago, so she won't let me trade it off.

Any more, I mostly play brass band Eb cornet and municipal band mostly trumpet. But every so often, I play some Chip Davis arrangements on the flug at church. I recently did get an ACB Doubler that is a little easier to fill, and more "fluffy" (always seemed like the Getzen 896 had a more "martial" attack, due to the larger bore) so I occasionally play it when we go to "Oompah" band sessions. Which may be why my grandkids call me Oompa......
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huntman10
Collector/Player of Fine (and not so fine) Brass Instruments including
Various Strads, Yammies, Al Hirt Courtois, Schilkes,
Selmer 25, Getzen Eternas, Kanstuls (920 Pic, CG)
Martin Custom Large Bore, Lots Olds!, Conns, etc.

[nltrumpet]

It’s an ok horn overall. For tuning, I really had to pick and choose my alternate fingerings to make the low register work. The bore is big, but not so big that the pedal C was hard to get out. Sometimes these 4-valve flugels really compromise the security of the fundamental note.

[jazzlaw]

Interesting - I think the Getzen I purchased is about 50 years old, and I am replacing my ACB Doubler with it. Both good, but just wanted to try something different.

[jazzlaw]

TrumpetMD - what mouthpiece style fits with your horn - believe I saw yours was also early 70s? I am finding that my "standard" shank mouthpiece fits, but is not going in as deep as it did on my old horn and the horn is a little flat when cold and just about in tune when warmed up. I am guessing a need a different shank for this horn.

[TrumpetMD]