My jazz horn question

[Andy Del]

Ah, a student who is ambitious! This is a fantastic thing to see and read about.

For the OP, it certainly seems you need a better instrument if it's leaking etc. But I would strongly advise you against trying to find a specialised instrument.

Get a middle of the road, standard instrument like a Bach 37 (a 37L?), or a Yamaha 6335/8335 etc and focus on becoming a good player of the trumpet. You'll do fine at lead, jazz or less commercial settings if you play well, rather than try to be a lead player before you have more fully developed you skill sets.

Speaking as someone who was totally into commercial / big band / jazz playing in HS, I seem to spend an awful lot of time dressed in period costume playing a natural trumpet, in orchestras etc...

You don't know what the future will hold for you musically!

cheers

Andy
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so many horns, so few good notes...

[Ed Kennedy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By5CDhbNV0g

Played on a Getzen 700 Eterna by the late great Leon Merian.
He picked it out af a music store in Sarasota, Getzen tweaked it for him. I play an old ('72) Eterna, and keep trying other horns but can't find anything I like better.

You might consider hanging on to the Getzen until you get the lay of the land at college to find out what the "preferred" instrument is. In the meantime treat your horn to a valve alignment (Reeves, Dr. Valve, Osmun, Flip Oaks, Charlie Melk, Rich Ita, etc.) it brought my old girl up to a new level.

[Ed Kennedy]

[LittleRusty]

[royjohn]

These questions come up all the time, so the OP may find some discussion of "jazz horns" in the archives that would be instructive. I have a Conn 8B that I love for a jazz type sound. I also have an old Holton Stratodyne that I like for brightness and ease up top.

However, in the end, with some info under your belt as to the likely suspects, you will still just have to play a lot of horns to see what you like. We don't know where you live, so it's impossible to suggest where to go to try horns. That info is also here somewhere. If you were anywhere in the East, the logical place would be Dillons in Woodbridge, NJ.

If you have to buy on line, you'll just need a right of return and may have to budget some shipping money to some trials to find the ideal horn. The problem with this approach is that you know what you have in your hand and how it compares to your worn out Eterna, but not what else you might like. Only a store or several stores with ten or twenty candidates can tell you anything about that. Just be glad you're not buying a contrabassoon or, worse, a pipe organ (I do know a kid whose parents bought him a pipe organ!).
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royjohn
Trumpets: 1928 Holton Llewellyn Model, 1957 Holton 51LB, 2010 Custom C by Bill Jones, 2011 Custom D/Eb by Bill Jones
Flugels: 1975 Olds Superstar, 1970's Elkhardt, 1970's Getzen 4 valve
Cornet: 1970's Yamaha YCR-233S . . . and others . . .

[LittleRusty]

[royjohn]

I think "States" refers to All State Band competitions. I don't think many people fly in here for competitions from high school in foreign countries and I don't think many of them stress jazz, either, but I could be wrong.
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royjohn
Trumpets: 1928 Holton Llewellyn Model, 1957 Holton 51LB, 2010 Custom C by Bill Jones, 2011 Custom D/Eb by Bill Jones
Flugels: 1975 Olds Superstar, 1970's Elkhardt, 1970's Getzen 4 valve
Cornet: 1970's Yamaha YCR-233S . . . and others . . .

[oxleyk]

[Ed Kennedy]

[trickg]

[shofarguy]

If the OP is still around, I'd like to throw in a couple of horns for consideration.

If by "jazz" you mean big band, I would suggest:

Schilke B3 - I had the X4 for a little while and, while I liked it, I thought the B3 was more playable for more people and I prefer its sound. The one thing about Schilke horns is that some of them have an odd element to the feedback tone that was distracting to me; I didn't like what I was hearing. Adding a 3rd valve water key eliminated that and gave me an easy way to evacuate the moisture that would collect in the tubing.

The Burbank Trumpet 3X+ or 6X-CG - These are available through Michael Thomas Music. They are essentially the classic Benge trumpets made by Kanstul today. If you like large bore trumpets that love to scream, the CG is awesome for that. The 3X+ is more versatile and represents the most popular model in the history of Benge.

If you mean "jazz" as in combo style:

Flip Oakes Wild Thing - Designed for all-day festivals indoors or out, microphone or not, the Wild Thing is a trumpet with unmatched presence and versatility. They can be special ordered with the original lead pipe, which enhances that quality. The current standard lead pipe has made the horn more accessible to a broader range of players, while still delivering the sound and broad color pallet that made the WT famous.

Kanstul 1603 & 1603+ Wallace Roney - These trumpets are designed and developed to give the player a faithful rendition of the Large Bore Martin Committee sound and playing experience, as well as its classic look and style.

Both the 1603 and Wild Thing are extremely versatile, but geared for players who have a good ear for intonation and phrasing. You can do a lot with either of them.
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Brian A. Douglas

Flip Oakes Wild Thing Bb Trumpet in copper
Flip Oakes Wild Thing Flugelhorn in copper


There is one reason that I practice: to be ready at the downbeat when the final trumpet sounds.

[James Becker]

[LittleRusty]

[Bill Ortiz]

For jazz combo playing, I'm loving my Schilke Handcraft HC1-best horn I"ve ever played....
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'56 Martin Committee Deluxe #2 trumpet
14B Schilke mouthpiece
Couesnon Paris flugelhorn
Bob Reeves Sleeves and PVA

[HERMOKIWI]

If you want a horn that was specifically designed for commercial/lead playing then your best bet is the Calicchio 1s/2. If you can't get the commercial/lead sound on a Calicchio 1s/2 you won't get that sound on anything.

I have a friend (lead player) who plays a Benge 2X, which is an amazing lead horn. He came over and did a comparison between his Benge 2X and the Calicchio 1s/2 I have in my collection and he brought another jazz player with him for an additional opinion. The Calicchio had more ring to the sound and more projection, which is saying a lot because the Benge 2X is a legendary/awesome commercial/lead horn.
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HERMOKIWI

[Schilkes22]

I doubt that you have outplayed your Getzen. BUT, there is nothing at all wrong with just wanting a new trumpet. I LOVE My Schilke,and would never trade it. That being said, I fell in love with the Severinsen Destino that I played at ITG, as well as the Schilke B6 and HC. Now I want all of those horns.
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I wish I was as good as I thought I was !!!
Schilke S22
Yamaha 631 Flugel
Warburton Mouthpieces
Berklee '95

[Bill Ortiz]

A commercial/lead tone and a "jazz tone" are two different things.
_________________
'56 Martin Committee Deluxe #2 trumpet
14B Schilke mouthpiece
Couesnon Paris flugelhorn
Bob Reeves Sleeves and PVA

[kehaulani]

That can be. But for the some, they're the same, and for others (and I am one), a jazz tone (for me) is different. I think in this instance, what something means for one does not, and rightly so, mean to another.
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"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn

[HERMOKIWI]

[kehaulani]