Went to Willowbrook for some Inspiration

[shofarguy]

Inspiration at Willowbrook by the Pond.

Sunday afternoon saw the final concert at Willowbrook for 2018 and I was able to take in at least one of the two sets. I wanted to hear Flip Oakes on the new model Inspiration trumpet. I wanted to see it for myself and play it. Fortunately, I was able to do all this over Sunday and Monday.

What do I think? Well, for one, the sound is really good and perfect for this outdoor venue. Why? Because, the tone is solid in the low and middle range, whether at mezzo-forte or a solid forte. The high range is easy to access accurately, from what I heard.

It's a significant change from Flip's Wild Thing, and it's perfect for the player who is used to a so-called efficient design - one that gives the most sound for the least effort - but still wants the luxurious timbre that sets the Wild Thing apart.

Why "Inspiration?" The concept of the trumpet comes out of work Arturo Sandoval had done to his own personal trumpet over the past few years. But, this design benefits from Flip's industry leading ability to perfect and produce world-class instruments. Details include heavy valve caps, top and bottom; sleeved leader pipe; under/over tuning slide; oversized rings for the pinky and 3rd valve fingers to hold and operate horn's mechanicals. I was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable in the hand the Inspiration is. In fact, if I were in the market for a new trumpet, I'd look at the Inspiration for the ergonomics alone. Another surprise is that adding the sleeve, the valve caps and the up-sized rings doesn't add a significant amount of weight.

The most remarkable discovery is that the horn remains agile, flexible and might be even more able to color its timbre than the current Wild Thing. All-in-all, It's a pretty phenomenal achievement.

Are there any trade-offs when choosing the Inspiration over the Wild Thing? Maybe. Flip is still getting to know this new instrument. Only two have been made so far, after all. At this point, it seems that this horn plays better with a smaller mouthpiece back-bore, and it may not have quite the same overwhelming dynamic volume that the Wild Thing has always had.
Neither of these two aspects of the horn are strictly negative and may, for some players, be distinctly positive. In the end, what the Inspiration does is expand the range of instrument characteristics available with Flip's attention to detail and immaculate response.




_________________
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.

[1957Tim]

Hey shofarguy,

I enjoyed reading your viewpoint concerning this new model. I would love to try it sometime as well, but I know from personal experience that this could be a pretty risky thing to do. I have tried three different models of Flip's horns, and now own all three. I'm horn poor, but I sure am happy.

-1957Tim