carolbrass: good or bad?

charlieft · New Member Joined: 17 Jan 2017 Posts: 9

I bought their CCR-7772R-YSS Bb cornet (designed after a Benge 8Z).
I Love this horn!! Good build, great valves, fantastic tone, plays in tune.

Have played trumpet for 60+ years, but had never played a cornet. Lately playing soft jazz in live rooms and was having a problem keeping the volume down without pinching my sound. (tough to play jazz when you don't like your sound).

Thought I would try a cornet and could not be happier with the Carol Brass CCR-7772R-YSS cornet. Sounds fantastic at all volume levels. The other guys are even coming up with tunes we should play to feature the cornet. This is the best buy I have made.

Liked it so much that I also picked up a Carol Brass CTR-6280L-PSM-Bb-SL trumpet. Trumpet looks great and plays easily and in tune, but have not yet played it on a gig. My current trumpet is a 1970 King silver Flair and I wanted to get a horn that was better for lyrical stuff and less of a screamer. Will post my thoughts on the trumpet after I use it for "real". Didn't knock me back as much as the cornet.

-Charlie

GuidoCorona · Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2018 6:17 am Post subject:

Hello Charlie, +++++ on the CCR-7772R.... I have the gold brass version, and also find it to be an amazing little horn.

Mine having the gold brass bell, it is probably a little warmer than yours. At this time my favorite mouthpieces for it are

* Flip Oakes Extreme 1.25 -- Unlike the flugel Extreme, the cornet version is very much a mainstream piece.... Slightly dark, it still retain full range and agility.

Griego CSFL (approximately a 7 cup) -- Yep, this marvel was not born as a cornet piece... It is in fact the stock MP shipped with the Getzen 4895 flugel. On flugel it creates a wonderful warm light tone.... Amazingly, it also works wonderfully on the Bb cornet, for which instead it creates a darker but agile tone.

Curry 1.25DC -- This is quite nice for a little bit of brilliance without giving up core.

Finally, if I want an even more brilliant tone, I resort to a Stork 2D cup.... And still the lower range retains its core.

I do have a Wick 2.... nice and buttery, but at least for me the tone is just a little "sloshy".... Eventually I want to try a Wick 3 or 4.

But you should not ignore the Carol Classic shipped with CCR-7772R... The critter is not at all a slouch!

Best, Guido
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Cornet: Carolbrass CCR7772R-GSS
Euphoniums: Miraphone M5050. Wessex Festivo

charlieft · New Member Joined: 17 Jan 2017 Posts: 9

Thanks for the info Guido,

So far I have tried a
Shilke 15c4 ( comfortable, but too bright/thin)
Horntrader HT3 (nice over full range, but tone is a tad thinner than the winner)
And the winner is
The CarolBrass mouthpiece that came with the horn

My only gripe is the CarolBrass piece makes it tougher to pick off high notes. I am going to research your suggestions (but this mouthpiece quest is getting expensive)

-Charlie

GuidoCorona · Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2018 7:57 am Post subject:

Hello Charlie, glad you are not passing off the stock Carol Classic as inherently irrelevant... It is IMO one fine general purpose and slightly dark MP for the CB triple crooker... Farr to many people ignore stock MPS, believing that, if they come with the horn, they just got to be substandard.

I agree that safariing-around for MPs can be expensive.... But, if you are patient enough, you will find some real jewels on TH.... I picked up Griego CSFL for about $20, for example.... And once a while I have seen the Flip Oakes as a reasonable price, definitely lower than its list of $95, which is in itself not bad for what the critter does for living.

The Curry DC and Stork D can be found between $40 and $45, and the Wick sometimes for a little less.

On the other hand, there is no real best.... So many mouthpieces can create their own special kind of magic, depending on the circumstances, musical genre, and personal preferences.

Guido
_________________
Cornet: Carolbrass CCR7772R-GSS
Euphoniums: Miraphone M5050. Wessex Festivo

tradjazzman · Veteran Member Joined: 15 Nov 2002 Posts: 176

I have to say I am blown away how much I like them. I've played literally 100s of trumpets over the years and I must admit it took me a few years before I even tried one. Now I am SOLD.

I play a CTR 8060H RLMD balanced for Trad / Dixie /... and I love it. Nice lively sweet tone. Then I also play a CTR 7660H RLM Legend for cool Jazz. Both are now my gig horns of choice.

Trptbenge · Posted: Sat May 11, 2019 4:43 pm Post subject:

I have been playing a 5000L -YSS and really love it. I recently played a 5060L GLT. It has a 72 lightweight bell with a sterling silver lead pipe. I love it. It is incredibly responsive.with a great sound. I may switch to the 5060.
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It's the sound that makes the difference!

HaveTrumpetWillTravel · Posted: Sat May 11, 2019 6:48 pm Post subject:

Curious about the lightweight bell... I have the 506, which should be the predecessor to the 5060 but is a bit different (just comes with one reverse slide and what I think are medium caps). It's a great all around horn. Now that I think about it the bell might be lighter weight. Did you order your 5060 with a lightweight bell, or did it come that way? How do you know it's a 72 bell?

gabriel127 · Posted: Sun May 12, 2019 4:08 am Post subject:

Well here's the real important kicker when it comes to determining CarolBrass' place in the ratings:

You can't post a topic or have a live conversation about CarolBrass horns without someone finishing their sentence with one of the following phrases:

"for the money."
"bang for the buck."
"at that price point."
"in that price range."

So let's get down to brass tacks and put it this way: If you did a blind test of CarolBrass against a Bach, Schilke, Calicchio, Scodwell, Yamaha, Shires, etc., and assuming they were all the same price, which do you think you'd end up choosing?

If they can't stand up against the top horns irrespective of price, then lets admit that these aren't among the best.

It seems that a lot of trumpet players are buying them because it gives them a decent playing horn without spending some serious bank. And along with that, they're willing to accept the horn losing its lacquer due to workmanship by people who work for a bowl of rice a day and are driven to get things done, "chop-chop."

But for guys who are saying, OK, I just want the BEST, I don't care what I'll have to pay, are they going to choose a CarolBrass?

Brad361 · Posted: Sun May 12, 2019 5:24 am Post subject:

nordlandstrompet · Posted: Sun May 12, 2019 7:31 am Post subject:

trumpethead · Posted: Sun May 12, 2019 3:09 pm Post subject:

TrptSTP · Posted: Sun May 12, 2019 5:21 pm Post subject:

Steve A · Posted: Sun May 12, 2019 6:31 pm Post subject:

Ozzbo · Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 1:28 pm Post subject:

As an owner of a Carol Legend Heavy and many of the other brands discussed to compare it with, I would not choose the Carol over a Schilke, Calicchio, Bach, Benge, Olds, Selmer,...etc.

Although this Carol horn is a good player and built well, with all being equal (price, condition, bore) I would choose the other horns instead. They feel more solid in the hands and have more consistent blows and presence.

Ozzy

grune · Regular Member Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 67

Brassnose · Posted: Fri May 17, 2019 11:52 pm Post subject:

Maybe it’s just me, but parts of Gabriel127’s statement (bowl of rice, chop chop) are pretty racist to me. Did you ever live or work in Taiwan for an extended period of time? I am sure (in fact I am not) that you are aware that Taiwan is not China ...

Back to topic: To comment on CB instruments, yes, I would pick some of the CB instruments over others, especially the cornets. One thing I really appreciate at CB is that there is a huge pool of customizations offered. I am aware of the build-your-Bach thing but I do not know if other companies offer the same model fexibility CB offers.
_________________
2019 Martin Schmidt eXcellence
1992 Bach 43GH/43
1989 Kühnl & Hoyer Model 15 flugel
1980/2023 Custom Blessing Scholastic C 😎
1977 Conn 6B
1951 Buescher 400 Lightweight
AR Resonance, Frate, Klier

grune · Regular Member Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 67

[quote="sounds7"]I would love to try this model
http://www.frequency.com/video/first-impression-of-new-carolbrass/140190534/-/5-788574

A balanced trumpet with a sterling lead pipe , bet it's a player.[/quote

dead link.

LittleRusty · Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2019 8:59 pm Post subject:

[quote="grune"]

HaveTrumpetWillTravel · Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2019 11:20 pm Post subject:

I tried the balanced trumpet at a music convention and it was my favorite of all the Carol instruments (actually the favorite trumpet I played there). I also answered my question above--the 5060 is designed differently from the earlier 506 (which I have) but the blow and sound are very similar. When they were making the 506, they didn't provide as much model info, so I think it's the regular bell.

I feel a little frustrated on behalf of Taiwanese trumpets, because I've now tried a fair number and wish they'd get more credit. It's pretty clear Carol is now making equipment for a lot of other makers out there, but when people write about their new Taylor or puje or whatever they seem to see it as something entirely other than a Carol, where I suspect it's still a lot of Carol plus something else too.

Carol is also my favorite of the Taiwanese brands. I've tried all the Mauriat instruments, and think they have some cool design features, but they all feel like variations on the same basic horn. I've also bought a "Harmonie" trumpet, which was recommended to me by a trumpet performance grad. I quite like it but the appearance still has some small flaws I wish had been caught in production.