How do you know if a student flugelhorn is “good enough”

[stuartissimo]

This is quite an insightful thread, love the responses.

And I do agree, ideally I want my flugelhorn to sound as different from my trumpet as possible. Robert's sound is very nice for jazz but I kinda feel it's too trumpet-like for classical stuff if I were to play it like that.
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1975 Olds Recording trumpet
1997 Getzen 700SP trumpet
1955 Olds Super cornet
1939 Buescher 280 flugelhorn
AR Resonance mouthpieces

[huntman10]

A lot of flugelhorn newbies think that since you can put a trumpet shank mouthpiece into the flugelhorn, you can just "get by" using your trumpet piece to play flugelhorn. But without a proper deep cup flugelhorn mouthpiece it will never sound right and likely will not be well in tune or have a proper flugelhorn attack.

Can't emphasize good mouthpiece choices too much to a beginner at flugelhorn doubling. You can likely find a piece with a rim that feels familiar, but the cup and shank need to be flugelhorn proper.

Also, there are a few good bargain Chinese flugs out there, usually the copies of the Yamaha YFH 632 G. Even so, I have seen a lot of quality control failures with those which prevents any possibility of these being true "professional" instruments. EBay is flooded with Indian made flugelhorns that I would not wish on my worst enemy.

My 2 cents.
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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.

[spitvalve]

There are a few used Getzen Eterna flugelhorns that come up on eBay and/or Reverb from time to time. They're a good bargain, usually. I've had mine for 44 years and it's served me well in all kinds of settings.

It's probably viewed more as a doubler's flugel or even an advanced student flugel, mainly because of its trumpet-sized bore, but with the right mouthpiece, and more importantly, the right approach, it can sound like a flugel should for jazz or classical. And the valves and nickel-plated leadpipe last forever.
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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

[Jimbosan]

It may depent on who you are going to play with. My brother was a professional classical trumpet player and he insisted that a small bore Couesnon was the only flugelhorn to have, or at least something in the same style. All of his professional buddies played small bore Couesnons. He gave me a lot of flak when I picked up a ML bore Benge 3 fllugelhorn (I traded a Besson 10-10 trombone and a king student trumpet for it). My non-pro friends thought the Benge sounded great when I played "Feels so Good". I found it easier to switch to a ML flugelhorn. The feels like a free blowing trumpet.

My point being, if I was going to play a gig a bar with my friends, any decent flugelhorn would probably do. I may need to be more picky if I was going to play a classical church gig.
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Kanstul FBClassic bflat&C
'42 Buescher205
'45 Committee
'47 Holton48
'47 Conn22b
'48 Benge
'69 Olds Custom Crafted
'78 Getzen Eterna
'64 Bach Strad Cornet
'62 Olds Spl Cornet
'64 Conn 80a
'54 Conn 34a
Benge flugel
Olds,DEG Bugles

[Rhondo]

When I played trumpet for 2+ years 30 years ago, I added a Flugelhorn, playing it a few times in orchestra. I’m coming back now, and when I played before I wasn’t an advanced player by any means, but I had a good sound. Whatever Bach Flugel and mouthpiece I had, I remember it pretty much being a seamless transition from trumpet. The horn had a round broad dark sound I loved. I think Miles / Gil Evans recordings on flugelhorn was and is my ideal of what a flugelhorn should sound like.

Wish I could remember what Bach Flugel and mouthpiece I had. Bought and sold it for about $600 in 1993-‘94.

[Halflip]

[Rhondo]

Oy!

[Rhondo]

Well, now listening to ‘Miles Ahead’ for the first time in a few years, the sound is a little different than I was remembering! Still great anyway…