AR Resonance VS. Lotus

[1957Tim]

Trumpet question. I see that ACB is now a dealer for the AR Resonance trumpet. Of course, Trent, as we all know, could make any instrument sound great, so I'm obviously not surprised when he sounds great on this horn. He does say that this may be the finest solo trumpet he's ever played. I'm curious what you guys/gals who are not selling horns have to say about the AR Resonance trumpet. Have you played this horn, and if so, what is your opinion of it? I'm also curious how this horn compares to the Lotus trumpet. Have any of you players played/owned both of these horns? I'm not gathering data to make a purchase, I'm just curious and would love to try both makers some day before I'm too old to play.

-1957Tim

[chiefgearhead]

I own a SoloMax but have not had the change to play an AR Resonance. I’ve been fascinated by them since i first learned about the horn but until recently there was no North American presence. The same applies to Martin Boehme’s horns, but Josh and Trent are starting to sell them too.

I love my Lotus and not that it matters for my level of playing or the bands I play in, but the SoloMax is probably not the best section horn for a big band. Its sound is distinctive enough to not really blend. I think that all three of these horns are more suited to small ensemble/solo work.

-tj
_________________
In the gig bag
23 Lotus Solo Max
56 Martin Committee Deluxe (large bore)
18 Adams F2
In the closet
82 L.A. Benge MLP
71 Bach 37 Stradivarius
69 Courtois flugelhorn
1949 Blessing Artist
84 DEG Dynasty 2v G Bugle
74 Conn Director

[stuartissimo]

[ericmpena]

I’ve played both and while neither brands were a good fit for me, if I had to pick one it would be Lotus.

The AR Resonance horns I’ve got played (Suprema and Estrema) had very poor projection. They probably sound fine when playing into a microphone, but in a live, acoustic setting I found the sound to barely travel a few feet in front of me. At the time, I was comparing AR Resonance to my Edwards X-13. The Edwards was far superior in playability and sound.

I’ve played every model of Lotus except for their new Solo model. Lotus horns feel a bit more traditional than AR Resonance. I think Lotus matches a players expectations closer than AR Resonance.

Also, remember that Trent is a salesman first. Nearly every horn he demos is “one of the finest”. He’s in the business of selling horns, not reviewing them.
_________________
Thane Performing Artist
www.youtube.com/ericmpena
https://thanetrumpets.com/

[1957Tim]

chiefgearhead,

Thanks for sharing. How long have you played the SoloMax? I love hearing Adam Rapa play any of his horns. I would purchase one if it would make me sound like him. One of my former brass band mates purchased a Martin Boehme trumpet from Trent and loves it. He let me take it for a test drive one Sunday after church and I couldn’t get over how easy the horn played. One of the nicest horns I’ve play tested. If money was no issue, I would purchase one.

-1957Tim

[1957Tim]

stuartissimo,

Good point stuartissimo. I know that Trent owns and handles many great horns, so I can relate to his feelings of this may be one the greatest horn I’ve played. I have several horns that I would not want to choose between. My favorite one to play is usually the one that’s in my hand at the moment.

It’s always nice when you make that investment in a mouthpiece and it works out. I’m glad you're enjoying the AR mouthpieces. Thanks for sharing my friend.

-1957Tim

[acritzer]

I'll share my experience, FWIW, with the mouthpieces. Horns are much too far out of my budget.

-Lotus 3LB compared to AR MC and MSC, with the classical medium backbore. I've played other variations, but these were the ones I most directly compared. For me, the Lotus had a much more robust tone (especially in the lower register), better projection and a wider range of colors. The AR seemed to require more work to get an equivalent tone. That being said, the AR also seemed to lock in to slots more directly. Not that the Lotus was loose, but the AR kind of pinpointed the notes.

I gave the AR a chance for a decent while and ended up staying with Lotus. I have a 3LB, 3L2B, 3M and 3S. All are VERY fun to play and offer slightly different benefits.

[1957Tim]

ericmpena,

Allow me to first complement you on your beautiful playing. I enjoyed the horn comparisons you did between the Thane, Monette, and Lotus trumpets. In all honesty, I could not hear much difference between these three horns. I’ve read great reviews on Logan’s trumpets; I can see why you are a Thane Performing Artist. Was the Thane horn the easier of the three to play, or were they all about the same? I think it often boils down to which horn is easiest to play while producing the sound you want.

Thanks for sharing your experience between the AR Resonance VS Lotus horns. I’m grateful there is a nice selection of horns for players to choose from.

Years ago an uncle of mine who had sold several brands of vacuum sweepers was asked which one was the best. He said that he preferred the Kirby because his commission was a good bit more on this brand. Trent is a wonderful player, but he is also a wonderful salesman.

I have a daughter who lives in Omaha, so I’ve visited Thompson Music several times when I’ve been in town. I was able to play test a nice variety of wonderful trumpets from Monette on down. I asked Mike Thompson, who obviously could play any make and model he chose which trumpet he played. He told me that many years ago when he won a seat with the San Diego Symphony, he was told to show up with a Yamaha trumpet. He said that he still plays a Yamaha because they are the easiest trumpet to play. I had never played a professional Yamaha before that day, but I still remember how nicely that horn played. I also remember how disappointed I was with the two Monette trumpets I play tested that day. I've read it many times on this forum that one should play what works best for them. I guess that's the bottom line, but we trumpet players are always looking for the next horn or mouthpiece that will play a bit better than our current setup, and trumpet/mouthpiece makers love our way of thinking.

-1957Tim

[stuartissimo]

@ericmpena That’s a good point about projection, hadn’t considered it.
_________________
1975 Olds Recording trumpet
1997 Getzen 700SP trumpet
1955 Olds Super cornet
1939 Buescher 280 flugelhorn
AR Resonance mouthpieces

[chiefgearhead]

Hi Tim,

I’ve had the horn about 8 months. I played one at one of their demo days a couple years ago and fell in love with it. Candidly, it’s a bit of a “vanity present” to myself. My Miyashiro was a fantastic horn, and I’d have another one but either it, or the SoloMax would spend more time in the closet than in my hands.

I’m a 58 year old comeback player (going on year 8 following a decades long hiatus) and I play in a big band. I have dreams of doing some quintet work at some point, but I’d probably use my Committee in that setting.

The SoloMax has a unique sound and if I was playing in a professional big band the leader would probably ask me to find a different horn because in the section it does not blend. The other trumpets in my band are a Calicchio, a Schilke HD, and a Miyashiro, and the Lotus really sticks out (I play third). I’m using a fairly deep cup MP (non lead) but even with a shinier MP it would still stick out.

The horn itself is a joy to play. It’s heavy, but the build quality is fantastic. It speaks in an efficient manner and intonation is excellent. The timbre is dark and the sound profile LARGE. It is not a shy horn, but it’s not sizzling bright. The Silver Flare would be the horn for that quality.

I haven’t played Martin’s horn but I love the way it sounds. I almost demo’s one but out here on the West Coast there is no retailer. I also think that the Tumultus is pretty much a solo horn, and like my Lotus, would not blend terribly well in a big band.

My challenge is that I want the kind of sound out of my horn that is well suited to a quintet, but I play mostly big band charts. = )

-tj

[1957Tim]

acritzer,

Thanks for sharing, I enjoy learning from others experience. I’ve seen a good bit of Lotus trumpet/mouthpiece demos on FB/YouTube and would love to try them someday. I would love to see Adam develop something for the brass band community which is where I’ve been for the past 6-7 years. I haven’t sold my trumpet, but I enjoy playing cornet more. Continue enjoying your nice Lotus mouthpieces my friend.

-1957Tim

[ericmpena]

[Destructo]

[ericmpena]

[Brassnose]

Acritzer: interesting description of your experience with the mouthpieces — I feel very much the opposite about them. The ARs are so much more flexible and easier to play. The Lotuses I had did speak very quickly but I found the sound rather one-dimensional (power, power, power) and the rim felt very uncomfortable with a very sharp inner rim. Like stuartissimo I very much like the ARs (and sold all Lotuses again). To me, Lotus pieces are about „in-your-face-power“ while the ARs are actually about music (YMMV etc. ). Goes to show (again) that we’re all different.

To get back on thread: If looking at the horns, I’d like to check out the AR nickel silver models Leggera, Feroce, and especially the Classica. In the Lotus range I’d be interested in a four valve setup just for the heck of it plus I like the Olds Studio-like two piece/two materials bells.
_________________
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

[acritzer]

[nick8801]

I have not had a chance to try out the horns, but I have tried both brands' mouthpieces. Regardless of my thoughts on playing and feel, I find the AR stuff I've used to be remarkably consistent. Every Lotus piece I tried was so wildly different from the last even though they were labeled the as the same piece. Different back bore lengths, rim shapes, cup dimensions. I know they went through some manufacturing issues when they started out, so maybe the newer "gold" pieces are a little better. That being said, it does give me some reservations about their horns, although, like other posters here have said, if you play it and it works, then go for it. Any horn with that price tag deserves to be played first or needs a good return policy! I currently play a Carol Brass horn and after years of playing custom boutique stuff, it's almost funny that the Carol stuff works best for me!

[ericmpena]

Two weeks ago (2/6/24) I purchased an AR Resonance Feroce from a member on this forum.
Sadly the bell was damaged during transit. The seller is paying for the repair costs.
The horn was still playable, so before I decided on keeping the horn and repairing it, I took it to a couple of gigs.

In all honesty, the Feroce is mind blowing. It plays silky smooth, similar to how I remember the Tumultus feeling, but even better. The amount of versatility is more than I could ever ask for in one trumpet. When I back off, it's easy to get a warm, soloist sound with a ton of core in the notes. Give the horn a little gas and it brightens up beautifully with a focused sound projection that almost doesn't seem possible with it's 5 1/2" bell flare.

It was a no brainer that this horn is a keeper, so I dropped it off to a local shop to do the repairs.
In the meantime, I was browsing around online and found another Feroce (lacquered) from Ernie Williamson Music. Long story short, I ordered that one also.

So it looks like I now own 2 Feroce's. I'll likely sell the repaired Feroce once I get it back from the repair shop. The discounted price will depend on how good the repair job is.

Austin Custom Brass also has a Feroce in stock for $7,400. You can use discount code "PREZACB" for 5% off, which brings it down to just above $7,000.

While my experience with the Suprema and Estrama was not ideal for my work (mariachi and salsa), I do believe that the Feroce is well woth it's price.



_________________
Thane Performing Artist
www.youtube.com/ericmpena
https://thanetrumpets.com/

[kerouack]

Hello ericmpena,
is the yamaha artist model New York really 7.000$ in USA ? I think you can find it for less, real price, not catalogue price.
You can not compare the real price of AR or Lotus with the Catalogue and not real price of another brand.
Still, I know Yamaha's are very expensive in USA.

Here in Europe we are lucky with Yamaha, we can find the artist model for 3.900 euros new, real price.

I just bought one.

I would like to try Lotus, AR and Bohme trumpets but I can not try them in my city or even my country, so... for now I have the Artist model. I agree that the artist model are really really good, the best trumpet I have ever tried.

[kerouack]

Yamaha YTR-9335NYS III Xeno Artist New York Bb Trumpet

https://thompsonmusic.com/products/yamahaytr-9335nysiixenoartistnewyorkbbtrumpet

$5,332.99