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Getzen 850



 
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tpetplyr
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 4:04 pm    Post subject: Getzen 850 Reply with quote

Tell me about the Getzen 850, the precursor to the 3850 Custom cornet. I want a cornet that fits in the brass band idiom (after hearing the Georgia Brass Band), but I'd really also like to be able to use it in cornet parts in symphonic band and orchestra. (Obviously mouthpiece is important).

Thanks
Stuart
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giakara
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 12:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi
I own the 850 eterna for 8 years and i use it mostly for jazz,dixie,swing gigs and some brass band gigs some time , is a great horn with very warm and dark sound if you play it with a short deep V mpc like Wick 4B , the valves is fast like all the Getzen horns and the bore is .464 against the .462 of the new custom model(more open).

Regards
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Kalidass
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 1:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've tried out 4 or 5 Getzen cornets at this year's Frankfurt Music Fair, and I was impressed by their sound and quality. I did not notice much, if any, difference of Getzen cornets compared to other top league brands like Kanstul, Besson, Courtois, Selmer Paris or the new Willson cornet (didn't find Eclipse, Lawler, and Wild Thing there); so, based on my personal impressions and on numerous good remarks on Getzen cornets on TH, I'd say, you can't do wrong with a Getzen for Brass Band use.

And, then, if it's good for Brass Band, it is good for cornet parts in symphonic bands and orchestra, too. It's your playing style which has to change when you change from BB to other musical contexts, not the instrument or mp.

I used to change mouthpieces, for a while, on my Courtois Chambord and Besson Stratford depending on purposes (British Brass band, German style brass band, quintet), but then I decided to play only the Denis Wick 4B. As mentioned above, if it's good for BB, it's good for all other 'classical' styles, too.

Kalidass
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jbrown44
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 15, 2021 1:25 pm    Post subject: Just got a vintage 850 and it rocks! Reply with quote

I know this thread started almost 20 years ago, but I got here by googling for info on the Getzen 850 so I thought others might find it the same way and might want to know how amazing this cornet is. I should hasten to say that I was previously a trumpet player and switched to cornet about a year and half ago so my experience is limited. But I have so far owned a Yamaha 2330 (good but not great) an old Getzen Capri that I rebuilt almost completely (the tone is incredible but it's not the favorite in my collection), a Salvation Army Bandmaster from 1949 (my first Pro cornet and a sensational instrument, though it needed some TLC), and as of today I've got a vintage Getzen Eterna 850. The serial number has no letter as a prefix so I understand that means it's older than 1964 [update: Mary Rima at Getzen confirmed this is an 850 but estimates the year as 1999], but I'm sure it has been serviced professionally.

Oh my god, this 850 is such a huge step up I can hardly believe it. The Bandmaster is in the ballpark but -- and I don't know if it's the wider bore being a better fit for me, but the 850 has opened up my playing and I'm suddenly better than ever. Of course I owe that to daily practice, but I didn't realize how much I was fighting against the limits of my other horns until now. It's like the strait jacket is off and the game has changed.

I'd almost have to admit that the Capri has a slightly sweeter tone, but it's not worth the tradeoff because it's a bit muddier and stuffier and the intonation is not as good, and I just generally feel like I have to fight it too much.

I'm primarily using a Wick 4W (wider rim, because I have big lips) and it fits the 850 like a glove. The tone is dark and warm but crisp, and the upper register is much easier to reach than my other cornets.

I find my Wick 2BW (I found it cheap on ebay and it happened to be a 2 but it's the "B" that is significant rather than the number) gives this horn a touch more brassiness; not quite as much as an American style cornet, but just a touch in that direction. I've also got a trumpet cup mouthpiece with a cornet shank (similar to a Bach but a vintage unbranded one) that makes the 850 sound almost like a trumpet. With those 3 mouthpieces I think this horn would work for any situation.

But if you're wondering whether it's worth paying more for an Eterna 850 (or presumably one of their similar cornets) then I would say you should 100% go for it. I got mine for $1000 and you will see prices in that range if you keep checking.

I do still love my Bandmaster (which I practically stole for $175), and it is technically a professional cornet, but the 850 is just absolutely a professional caliber cornet without any ifs ands or buts. I was beginning to think I should switch back to trumpet because I wasn't feeling as free or technically fluid on the cornet, but it turns out I just needed a cornet that played as well as the Bach Strad trumpet I used to own (it was a 1973 and was better than your average Strad). Don't hold yourself back by settling for a cornet that is less than this good.


Last edited by jbrown44 on Fri Apr 16, 2021 9:03 am; edited 1 time in total
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Crazy Finn
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 15, 2021 2:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice to read about the Getzen.

To be clear, the Getzen 800 is an older model from ... the 60's? It's got a bit of an odd wrap as the tuning slide, instead of being a wider bend like you see... on say your Yamaha 2330, has an extremely bend, like you see in a 3rd or 2nd valve slide.

The Getzen 850 is a newer design. I don't remember when it came out, but I don't think it was before the 80's. It looks a lot more like a standard shepards crook cornet, like the Yamaha. Later, the current 3850 was developed from the 850.

So, unless you have a Getzen 800, not an 850, I doubt your horn is from the 60's.

They are both excellent cornets.
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jbrown44
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 15, 2021 5:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah, it is definitely not the 800, which has that unusual wrap you mention. The serial number is confusing me because it's all numbers with no letter prefix, which should mean it's from before 1968, from what I've read elsewhere on this forum just this evening. On the other hand, the number (1240142) does not seem like it could be from an early Eterna. I'm beginning to wonder if this horn was built from parts of different cornets. The bell engraving (Eterna by Getzen USA) is barely visible because it's so worn, whereas the serial number is more crisp. If so it was done by a professional because there are no obvious solder joints (my self-rebuilt Capri has solder joints that you cannot miss). Perhaps I should contact someone at Getzen to see if they can make any sense of it. It can't be a complete counterfeit because it's an amazing instrument, but perhaps it's an 800 that was rebuilt to have a standard wrap, and so the seller I bought it from pegged it incorrectly as an 850...it's a mystery.

[img]https://reverb.com/item/34561048-used-getzen-eterna-850-bb-cornet-sn-1240142[/img]


Last edited by jbrown44 on Thu Apr 15, 2021 6:36 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Crazy Finn
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 15, 2021 5:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'd suggest you contact Getzen - I think Mary Rima is does a lot of this - about dating it and the SN.

I've seen the Getzen SN lists and I don't know what to make of your horn. I am 90% sure that the 850 is a much more recent instrument than the 1960's era.

It looks like the leadpipe is probably not original, but other than that, I'm not enough of a Getzen expert to say much more. You are correct, though, it's not an Eterna 800.
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jbrown44
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 15, 2021 6:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I appreciate your input, so thanks very much for the replies! I'll get in touch with them and update this thread if I find anything out.
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Dale Proctor
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 15, 2021 8:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A friend in brass band had an 850 he had acquired as part of a trade and wanted to sell it. I took it home for a few weeks and then gave it back to him. It was stuffy and didn’t play well at all. He later traded it to another guy in the band who had previously played an 850, but after a few months, he decided he wanted his old cornet back.

Maybe this particular cornet was just a dud, but it sure didn’t make a good impression on the three of us. I later played another friend’s 3850 and it was a great instrument.
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jbrown44
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mary Rima confirms it's an 850 but estimates the year at 1999. Ii guess the serial number format listed on some third party sites is not the whole story. TThere must be exceptions to that serial number format.
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Crazy Finn
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jbrown44 wrote:
Mary Rima confirms it's an 850 but estimates the year at 1999. Ii guess the serial number format listed on some third party sites is not the whole story. TThere must be exceptions to that serial number format.

I've found it works for most horns, but if you get an answer that doesn't make any sense, then - like you said, it's not the whole story.

I think it's possible that the online lists are missing a serial number series, but the ones that are on there are correct.
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jbrown44
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I subsequently asked Mary about the serial number and she said the rules on that list are usually correct but around the late 90s there were some instruments that were given serial numbers without a letter prefix, so I think you're right that the list is probably correct but missing some exceptions.
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Winghorn
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 18, 2021 12:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The standard Eterna 800 is my pick of the litter. Ole Edvard Antonsen plays one and his recording of Napoli on YouTube is unreal!
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blbaumgarn
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 01, 2021 8:22 pm    Post subject: Getzen 850 Reply with quote

I say you are right, my friend. I had the great pleasure to play a school provided 800 in college in symphonic band. It was so pleasurable to play and consistent. That was a little over 50 years ago. When I heard Ole' play Napoli on that little cornet I thought I was having an eargasm! I won't hear Getzen's name being criticized. Though I never bought one I played two for extended periods of time, the other being a Severinsen model, which was a gas. I don't know when you added this string but I have to agree with ya!
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giakara
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 01, 2021 10:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I own a laquer 850 since 1999 and still is my main cornet and one of the best horns I ever had , no comparison with all the cornets I had or try in the past like Bach strads,Kanstul,Yamaha 6335,Getzen 800LB and many others , the blow and the sound is unique and the valves are ...Getzen , I had play with this horn hundreds or mabe thousands of gigs and recordings and always impressed with the easiness and the sound,very important for me is to choose the right mpc.

Regards
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Getzen eterna 910 C
Getzen eterna 850 cornet
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Yamaha 731 flugel
Carol mini pocket
Reeves/Purviance mpcs
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