I Have a GOOD Bach! But…

[Dizzyr1971]

Great video with Sandoval. My vote, keep the horn
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I'm an advanced amateur trumpet player, I started studying jazz and improvisation in 2010, follower of Barry Harris
Olds Supers 1946+1965
Bach Strad 180-37 1982
CarolBrass CTR-5060L-YST-Bb-L
Couesnon Flugelhorn

[zaferis]

[Wondra]

A couple suggestions:

On the day you go to ITG, go to the exhibit hall the second it opens and find K.O. Skinsnes at the Stomvi USA booth. Tell him what refinements you want in your sound and see if he has a mouthpiece that will give you the adjustment you are after. K.O. is a master at this and is a straight shooter. You will also find many other mouthpiece makers that could provide similar help.

If mouthpiece adjustment doesn't work, consider a Bach 18037G. My hearing is sensitive, so I needed to tone down the beautiful brilliance that comes out of a 37 bell. I found that the gold brass bell toned down the brilliance just a little and added a bit more warmth. This solution worked for me.

Bach has a private room, so you could go and try a 37G, or other Bach horns. I you decide to do this, get to Bach's private room the second it opens. One of the Bach people in the room can listen to you play and give you impressions as well.

It's great to hear that you have a fine playing Bach in your hands already, best wishes on settling in on a solution that works for you!
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Dave Wondra

Don't make me get the flying monkeys...

[Vin DiBona]

Keep the horn.
Record yourself with decent recording equipment and hear what you really sound like. What you hear from the bell and what people a few feet away from you hear can be two different things.
A friend and mentor who was a frequent extra (and is on numerous recordings) in the Chicago Symphony once told me that Herseth's sound up close could be a bit "noisy", but a few feet way it was the incredible sound he had for all those years.
In the mid 80's, I bought a Bach 37 that could peel paint. I did not keep that horn and went to a 72/43 large bore. I also played a Vindobona with a 43(!) bell.
Both were good horns.
I now have a hand picked 19037 in silver hand picked by the friend mentioned about. That is a great horn.
You must find a horn that gives you the sound that is in your head, which you can adjust to the style you what for the genre you are playing in.

R. Tomasek

[Rhondo]

More context:

I had played a 18037 G bell converted to reverse leadpipe in my comeback since December. From behind the horn, at least at full blast, I liked the sound better.

I liked the less edgy sound of the high end Yamaha the pro player was switching off to when comparing play to my ‘GOOD’ Bach. (He had the Yamaha only because a brass band he’s in wants him to use it. He prefers Bachs.)

The ‘GOOD’ Bach I have now when you step on the gas can be ear splitting depending on the acoustics of the room. The G bell wasn’t like that, it seemed just right to me, but I definitely like the responsiveness and ‘playability’ of this standard configuration ‘GOOD’ Bach better. I just feel like I need to back off of full volume or cut that edge off in some way. That may be easier or feel more natural to do with time.

As Dayton mentioned, I probably wouldn’t lose much if I want to sell the horn in the future.