Just Bought a King Legend...Any King players out there?

CRJAZZMAN · Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2004 2:25 pm Post subject:

I just got my new King Legend last Friday and I am very very pleased!
Granted, against my 25 year old Bach37, which has gotten sloppy over the years, any new pro horn would feel great. BUT,
I play tested several horns during my safari and really was planning on getting a Conn Vintage One. On one play-test journey I got to play a couple V-1's against a new Bach and against a King Legend and was equally impressed by the Legend.
The model I have came with a reverse leadpipe and is a .464 bore in silver. I can now quit trying to compensate for D and E being out of tune. Yeah!
The way I see it, UMI is for horns, sort of like GMC is for cars....The tech advances sort of trickle through the other lines. When investigating the horn I was surprised to find out that "The Boston Brass" http://www.bostonbrass.com/bb.html was playing King until UMI made them switch to Conn (Vintage one) instruments. From what I have heard (rumor) this did not go over well with all players. (some had come to love their Kings) Taking nothing away from the V-1. I loved that horn, but the price was right on the King (2003 stock) and I wanted to move up to a .464 from my Bach .459.
Bottom line. This horn makes it easier for me to do what I love to do. Play trumpet! For the first time the double C is more open and large. I may have to visit GR-tech, though, because playing with a Yamaha Bobby Shew can make this thing pretty bright!
I have also played some Clark etudes, etc on it and again this horn made playing easier.

The modular valve weight system is pretty cool. I have not had a lot of time to fiddle with it, but I put the stack on the 3rd valve and noticed a difference in slotting right away! I've never had accuracy like this before!
Any one else have input on this horn?
Any other King players out there?
EDIT: I just took the weight off of the 3rd valve and that took the edge off of my sound. So I don't think it is the mpc after all. I will have to try the vaious weights on different valve combinations to see when and if I need to use the weights. Looks like you should be able to dial in just the right set up for each individual player!
Cool!

_________________
SC gave me a double C!
Matt Canfield
please email me at crjazzman@yahoo.com
I do not check the email address listed in my profile.

[ This Message was edited by: CRJAZZMAN on 2004-04-26 17:41 ]

rebelatheart · Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2004 3:57 pm Post subject:

I just jot my King Legend Lg Bore in January, and I am quite pleased myself! It slots well, and yet at the same time is easy to slur. Just the right amount of "step", without being rigid or slippery. It plays nice and open on top, without ever feeling too big. Valves have a great feel, and I like the short throw. The tone has a nice rich quality. It is very versatile, also. At home with legit or jazz. I think it is a very overlooked horn. I almost overlooked it myself. I was in the process of play testing the Conn V-1 vs Bach 180-37 when I played it just "for the heck of it". I was totally taken by surprise by this horn and don't regret buying it one bit. By the way, I think it is a .462 bore.
_________________
"Daddy, this piccolo makes me want to cuss."

CRJAZZMAN · Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2004 5:14 am Post subject:

Yep, you are correct! That's a .462 bore.
This horn sounds great!

I am a lead player and no one would ever mistake me for a classical player, but on this horn I can definitely get that nice large sound. Yet when I push the horn it responds immediately and I can really light it up when I go into the upper register!

This week end I have a couple of dance band gigs Friday and Saturday night. That will be my first chance to see what it'll do outside the practice room. I can't wait! It's gonna be a fun summer!

_________________
SC gave me a double C!
Matt Canfield
please email me at crjazzman@yahoo.com
I do not check the email address listed in my profile.

[ This Message was edited by: CRJAZZMAN on 2004-04-27 08:15 ]

goodfishe · Regular Member Joined: 23 Apr 2004 Posts: 20

i like King trumpets and i had a tempo 600 King and liked it alot thought i was the best student trumpet i ever played. a brass salesman told me he didn't think that when the early King comapayny made excellent brass instrumnts and he didn't think the UMI company which bough the KIng Conn, Benge, Artley wereas good a quaity as the old sixties and sevenetis King brass. i migt have left some othrs out but i looked at the king website and the UMI take over was around 1985 and some people don't like the new comapany as much as the older King quaity but my former king tempo 600 was made around the early nineties and i liked it alot so that just goes to show you not to believe what others say about an instrument the real proof of the pudding is in the eating in other word you don't know what trumpet is good or bad untill you play it!!!!! nuff said anyone want to jump in be my guest. but then i'm not a pro player 1999 Z 1974 Silver Flair 1959 Olds Studio

DaveH · Heavyweight Member Joined: 20 Nov 2001 Posts: 3861

The personal experience I have had with King instruments has been very positive...

I am in the process of getting a Silver Flair to replace the one I so foolishly sold many years ago...

IMO, they have lost the competitive name that they had years ago. But, I still like them very much.

chris71 · Posted: Wed May 05, 2004 3:49 am Post subject:

Hi, here's another king player from "out there". Which in my case is really "out there" because it is across the ocean (Germany).

I happened to buy this King Legend 2070L-SP (also the large bore model in silver) more like by accident, that is to say I was in a music store and had some time left. I then made that mistake to start testing a couple of the horns they had in the store, one of them being the King. And I really loved that instrument... I have tested most of those "standard" horns to compare, like Strad 180-37ML, B&S Challenger II, Conn Vintage One, Selmer France Concept TT, Chorus 80J, Courtois Evolution II and some others... But I ended up buying the King because for me it felt the most comfortable and had the sound I liked best. Now after a couple of months with the new horn I am still happy with it, hope this will last...