Sonare (made in Germany)

walldaja · Regular Member Joined: 23 Aug 2010 Posts: 71

Any owners out there? An instrument that seemed to be a good idea combining an adjustable valve alignment feature, Blackburn leadpipe, and cryogenic treatment seem to have just disappeared. After introducing the German-made horns they cut some corners and hooked up with a questionable US manufacturer and no longer seem to exist.

Wonder if anyone admits to having / using one of these horns. I like mine but hate it when a manufacturer just disappears.
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Dave

Sonare TRC-800, Dennis Wick 1.5C
Blessing Standard, Denis Wick 1.5C
Accent TR959 CDB C tpt Stork XM2 Studio Mstr
Jupiter 846S Flug Schilke 18F
Shires Q30GR T-bone 5 / 4 CL
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Ed Kennedy · Heavyweight Member Joined: 15 Jan 2005 Posts: 3187

I had a TRC900 for a while which I foolishly traded off. An excellent horn. 90% of your instrument is B&S which is very much still in business. the same goes for Blackburn. The Horntrader had some for a while and he nick- named them the "Bach Killer." He said that they were being played in the San Diego Symphony and I know that a member of the Minnesota Orchestra was playing one as well as, famously, Lew Soloff. The C trumpets are excellent. When E.K. Blessing came into the mix they brought in Fred Powell to consult on design and subsequently went under.

Jim Becker of Osmun music in Boston had a hand in setting up new Sonare trumpets. Perhaps he'll chime in.

deleted_user_48e5f31 · New Member Joined: 03 Apr 1996 Posts: 0

Deleted by dfcoleman

dstpt · Heavyweight Member Joined: 14 Dec 2005 Posts: 1283

DJtpt31 · Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2019 11:31 pm Post subject:

I own a Bb Sonare trumpet and I use it as my main horn. Was sad when they went away... I thought they made a comparable horn to the Bach's and the Yamaha's for less.
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"You need F-15's..." Joe Biden

Dayton · Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2019 9:06 am Post subject:

I never played one of the German-made Sonares, but the 801 and the 901 I owned -- made in the USA -- were fine horns.

Ed Kennedy · Heavyweight Member Joined: 15 Jan 2005 Posts: 3187

dstpt · Heavyweight Member Joined: 14 Dec 2005 Posts: 1283

I made a demo of a German made Sonare C trumpet today...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3uby12i8rqb2gvc/Sonare%20C%20Tpt%20Demo.MOV?dl=0

James Becker · Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2019 6:15 am Post subject:

The domestic Sonare trumpets were well made instruments. Perhaps the bells were a bit heavier but not a detriment. What I can say as an observation is the effort to produce a handmade professional Saxophone in the E.K Blessing plant sunk that ship. At the time of my leaving my job as trumpet tester at the Maynard, MA facility, the Blessing B88 symphonic tenor trombone was the top selling instrument in the EKB line up. Had they focused on brass rather than ambitiously pursuing that lofty goal by diversifying the line they might still be in business today.

For more, google Powell Silver Eagle Saxophones.

My 2 cents.
_________________
James Becker
Brass Repair Specialist Since 1977
Osmun Music Inc.
77 Powdermill Road Rt.62
Acton, MA 01720
www.osmun.com

Our workshop is as close as your nearest UPS store https://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en_US

Anonie · Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2019 8:56 am Post subject:

I still have German-made Sonare B-flat and C trumpets which I used professionally for several years before switching to Yamaha.

The C trumpet especially has excellent intonation and a very even blow. The B-flat was a little too open for me, but I play C trumpet 95% of the time and like a fairly tight blow. If it weren't for the Yamaha Chicago, I would probably still be playing them both.

I listed them both on the Marketplace several times, but alas, no one was interested.

dstpt · Heavyweight Member Joined: 14 Dec 2005 Posts: 1283

James Becker · Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2019 10:20 am Post subject:

Another thing worth pointing out. When Blackburn-Sonare Brass leadpipes fail, Clifford was happy to supply me replacement pipes. His exclusive design for Sonare was not made available as an aftermarket like his standard offerings. Perhaps Pickett- Blackburn will continue to make this replacement leadpipe available to Sonare owners and that will need them.

That being said, retrofitting a stock B&S trumpet with this pipe has not been possible due to the original exclusive agreement. Should that change I’m available to install them on B&S Challenger trumpets, perform a precision valve alignment and our Resonance Enhancement cryogenic treatment.

The parent company Buffet now owns both B&S and V.Q. Powell (Sonare) Flute companies. Who would have ever guessed how our little world would change in ten short years.
_________________
James Becker
Brass Repair Specialist Since 1977
Osmun Music Inc.
77 Powdermill Road Rt.62
Acton, MA 01720
www.osmun.com

Our workshop is as close as your nearest UPS store https://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en_US

nick8801 · Veteran Member Joined: 22 Dec 2009 Posts: 174 Location: NJ

Haven’t posted in this forum in years but I thought I’d chime in on this one. My Sonare TRC900 has been my main horn for the past 10 years. Recently I’ve been on a bit of a horn safari and it’s allowed me to compare my Sonare to a whole crop of different horns. The most recent was a Bach Artisan. Considering the Sonare is supposed to be in the Bach vein, I was surprised how different they were. The Sonare was way more open and looser slotting than the Bach. Also much darker. The Bach had hard, defined slots, and I thought the Sonare felt much wider. I love the Sonare for jazz and solo stuff. The one thing I dislike about mine is that the bell is rather thin. It dents very easily. I have modded mine a bit over the years. One of the posts by the tuning slide has been removed which might account for the looser slots. I also stripped the lacquer and added some Curry CCAPS. All in all it still feels very much like it did when I got it. Maybe just a little less compact now. Best part of the horn is the valves. They are like glass compared to the Bach which was very springy and noisy. They sure are cool horns and it’s a shame they aren’t made anymore.

Jay2015trumpet · Regular Member Joined: 29 May 2015 Posts: 74

I've tried the American built 802 and 802R models and the playability was exceptional on both. Wish I had kept the reverse leadpipe model. Occasionally, they go for super low figures on eBay like 350-550 and are a great value buy.