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delano Heavyweight Member
Joined: 18 Jan 2009 Posts: 3118 Location: The Netherlands
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Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2022 11:53 pm Post subject: Great Expectations. |
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About a new horn.
A few days ago I visited the new workshop of the Dutch trumpet craftsman/wizzard Martinus (Mark) Geelen to have my MG Twister serviced. Great place, now upgraded with a CNC machine.
But the real surprise came when he handed me his newest creation, a new rotary trumpet, some new Twister. I own a Twister and though it is built as a cross-over rotary trumpet it has a lot of DNA of a regular rotary trumpet, it's on the legit side of the spectrum which is for me ok, I like that.
But now this new creation, I had the privilige of being allowed to play it and I was shockingly surprised. It's not an upgraded Twister, it's a whole new horn. It has the twisted bell but now the instrument has more bends so it has a very compact wrap, also a liitle bit less weight. Also the layout changed with another leadpipe and tuning system. It's still in the try-out phase so I am not allowed to tell all the details but a lot of the development is also inside the horn. Substantial modifications in the machine and in the bore traject make this horn extremely versatile. In fact this horn combines the advantages of both the piston and the rotary trumpet.
But versatile does not give the right picture. By using different mouthpieces and/or (the very easy changeable) leadpipes you have a legit, a commercial (it can scream), and a flügel horn in your hands and believe me, this comes all very easy.
It's a rare bird and will have a new name to accentuate that.
What surprised me the most was the original way of thinking to design this horn.
So: Great Expectations.
Anybody that's interested can contact Mark via his website. I think that he will introduce this horn with a nice clip and more definite information here when he is ready for it. Probably after the try-out period.
https://www.mgtrumpets.com/ |
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stuartissimo Heavyweight Member
Joined: 17 Dec 2021 Posts: 992 Location: Europe
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Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2022 3:07 am Post subject: |
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Pretty much agree with everything Delano wrote.
Mark showed me the protorype during my visit last week when I visited MGTrumpets to drop off one of my instruments for repairs. It’s a neat and clever design that allows for a lot of freedom in sound, ranging from ‘proper trumpet’ to flugel to much inbetween. He was kind enough to let me try it as well, and though it took a little getting used to, it was very nice to play.
Mark is a skilled player and the sounds he could get from this horn are incredibly diverse. In particular, when using a flugel-cup his sound was sweet with just a touch of brightness that made it very well suited for ballads (I believe Mark called it ‘a flugel sound without the lack of back pressure typically present in flugels’).
If you’re interested in hybrid instruments, this MG’s new horn is definitely one to keep an eye on. _________________ 1975 Olds Recording trumpet
1997 Getzen 700SP trumpet
1955 Olds Super cornet
1939 Buescher 280 flugelhorn
AR Resonance mouthpieces |
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delano Heavyweight Member
Joined: 18 Jan 2009 Posts: 3118 Location: The Netherlands
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2023 5:27 am Post subject: |
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This new horn is now more or less officially presented and got the name of a bird: the Surakav, a North American bird that can change its colors.
Not all the information is available yet. Like I wrote before I played a proto-type of this horn in trumpet configuration and that horn played shockingly well.
Now the design seems to be definitiv and Mark made it very versatil with different leadpipe set-ups so that you now have a trumpet, a cornet and a light sounding flügelhorn in one horn by changing leadpipes and mouthpieces of course.
I did not play the latest version but I'm very curious.
From his website:
NEW!!! SURAKAV - Hybrid Trumpet/Cornet/Trugelhorn
—> more detailed info following soon. For now I hope this will do:
This hybrid instrument is built following a totally new design and new concept. It replaces both the Twister and Twugelhorn designs we used to make.
The Surakav can be used as a trumpet using a trumpet mouthpiece and corresponding leadpipe, as a cornet using a cornet mouthpiece and leadpipe and as a light flugelhorn / ultra dark trumpet using the trugelhorn leadpipe. All the leadpipes have different inside shapes and are the best possible match to the rest of this very well balanced instrument. Nearly the whole instrument slowly “tapers out”.
All three configurations really work and are not a compromise. The trumpet is thick and bright, the cornet dark and agile, and the trugelhorn has a soundcore that sounds like a flugel that can still project, unlike a common flugelhorn that is often hard to use in live situations and where the sound doesn’t carry further than the stage without having to push it. The Trugelhorn sound is thick, warm and carries through beautifully. It’s amazing how the bell can sound so different in each of the individual setups.
It took a long time to develop, and it took some persuasion to have the German manufacturers of the valve section make what we had in vision (they thought we had gone nuts) but it is finally here!
https://www.mgtrumpets.com/rotary-instruments.html |
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Halflip Heavyweight Member
Joined: 09 Jan 2003 Posts: 1929 Location: WI
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2023 6:15 am Post subject: |
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Sounds fascinating! I can't wait to see how this marvel looks. It must be rather unique if it requires a specially configured valve section.
(Looks like there are some pictures on the website. Very attractive instrument!) _________________ "He that plays the King shall be welcome . . . " (Hamlet Act II, Scene 2, Line 1416)
"He had no concept of the instrument. He was blowing into it." -- Virgil Starkwell's cello teacher in "Take the Money and Run" |
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jhatpro Heavyweight Member
Joined: 17 Mar 2002 Posts: 10204 Location: The Land Beyond O'Hare
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2023 8:07 am Post subject: |
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Mark built a great horn me, not a Twister but one of his Universal Work Horse B-flats. It’s one of the best horns I’ve ever played and I’ve owned horns by Bach, Conn, Schilke, Yamaha, Getzen, Scodwell, Selmer, LeBlanc, Holton and Eclipse. _________________ Jim Hatfield
"The notes are there - find them.” Mingus
2021 Martinus Geelan Custom
2005 Bach 180-72R
1965 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1946 Conn Victor
1998 Scodwell flugel
1986 Bach 181 cornet
1954 Conn 80A cornet
2002 Getzen bugle |
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delano Heavyweight Member
Joined: 18 Jan 2009 Posts: 3118 Location: The Netherlands
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2023 9:52 am Post subject: |
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Halflip wrote: | Sounds fascinating! I can't wait to see how this marvel looks. It must be rather unique if it requires a specially configured valve section.
(Looks like there are some pictures on the website. Very attractive instrument!) |
There are indeed some pictures of that new horn on his website.
I own a MG Twister rotary trumpet and that one has quite a wide wrap.
But the new Surakav is a very compact instrument, easy to hold and elegant and cool design with some kind of shepherds crook. |
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stuartissimo Heavyweight Member
Joined: 17 Dec 2021 Posts: 992 Location: Europe
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Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2023 11:45 am Post subject: |
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Just in case anyone’s interested, Trent Austin recently made a video review about a MG trumpet (not the Surakav though). _________________ 1975 Olds Recording trumpet
1997 Getzen 700SP trumpet
1955 Olds Super cornet
1939 Buescher 280 flugelhorn
AR Resonance mouthpieces |
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delano Heavyweight Member
Joined: 18 Jan 2009 Posts: 3118 Location: The Netherlands
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Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2023 1:31 pm Post subject: |
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Nice video! And yes, I am one of the (happy) few who owns a Twister like this one. Up to now I played a Breslmair G2 mouthpiece on it but Trent showed me here what can be done with a mouthpiece with a deeper (flügelish) cup on it.
Also because I sold all my flügelhorns it is indeed a good idea to try this way to have a possibility for a flügel sound without the for me negative implications of the flügelhorn.
BTW the Twister plays great and has a big nice sound. I play it with a medium leadpipe because I want it to sound like a proper rotary.
The valves and the mechanics are superb which make it an easy to play rotary. |
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WigglePig Regular Member
Joined: 16 Apr 2020 Posts: 14
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Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 11:51 am Post subject: Surakav… |
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Oh, disaster!
I may have placed an order for a Surakav. 😳 _________________ CarolBrass CTR-9990H4V
CarolBrass CPT-1000YSS (cute and sounds rather good) |
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stuartissimo Heavyweight Member
Joined: 17 Dec 2021 Posts: 992 Location: Europe
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2024 11:21 pm Post subject: |
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WigglePig wrote: | Oh, disaster!
I may have placed an order for a Surakav. 😳 |
Congrats! Looking forward to reading your thoughts about it when you receive it. _________________ 1975 Olds Recording trumpet
1997 Getzen 700SP trumpet
1955 Olds Super cornet
1939 Buescher 280 flugelhorn
AR Resonance mouthpieces |
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yellowbird28 New Member
Joined: 01 Mar 2007 Posts: 4
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Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2024 1:28 am Post subject: Surakav hybrid Horn |
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Here is Mark from Martinus Geelen Trumpets. Since people have been contacting me because they saw info on the Surakav hybrid horn here on trumpetherald here is a link to a youtube short of a just finished surakav.
https://youtube.com/shorts/1CM-LYwAayc?si=YPV9HpWiTXwuHEgu
The surakav comes with three leadpipes that are played with your own personal choice of mouthpieces. The leadpipes available are for trumpet, cornet and what I call “Flugelcore”. The flugel setup is not as dark as a flugel from up close, but played on stage all of the sound travels, unlike with a flugel where most of the sound is lost in the first few meters. It’s a very versatile instrument with excellent intonation and playability in al three setups. It took me 2 years to develop and it is available for order now.
If you have any questions please visit www.mgtrumpets.com or martinus geelen trumpets on facebook. |
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