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Do you recommend me to buy a carol brass horn?



 
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Tro.sy
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Joined: 30 Apr 2019
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 8:20 am    Post subject: Do you recommend me to buy a carol brass horn? Reply with quote

Do you have any experience with carol brass horns? Are they better than Yamaha or Bach horns?
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kehaulani
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 10:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

IMO they are not as good as Bach or Yamaha but you can find one that is. You would have to try them to find out. Depends on your use. How much playing have you done and what are your playing goals?

I had a Carol Pocket Trumpet and it was very good. Decent sound and mechanics and excellent workmanship. I really think the answer depends a lot on how you are going to use it. I got mine for casual use and primarily to take on a trip to Germany I made.
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Last edited by kehaulani on Sun Feb 16, 2020 8:48 am; edited 1 time in total
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Brad361
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 10:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

“Better” is subjective. I’ve owned four Carol horns, as well as Bach Strads and Yamaha Xenos. IMO, Carol makes very good build quality and good (which is subjective!) playing horns, at VERY reasonable prices. The downside is resale value, definitely not as good as Bach or Yamaha. It depends on what qualities you’re looking for, but generally speaking I think Carol Brass are very solid, pro level horns.

Brad
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Andy Del
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 10:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

In short, they are not. They are a good quality instrument, but lack the real tonal qualities of a top notch horn. My old school bought a few, and while they were impressive as far as lag ability goes, longevity was an issue, and they simply lacked the sound of... well Kanstul, Bach, my European instruments, Olds recording, etc. etc.

Bang for buck, they are ok, but that’s it.

Cheers

Andy
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benlewis
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 10:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I may have been extra-lucky, but I bought a demo triple shepard's crook C cornet from Doug Teeter and it plays extremely well. I prefer it to the Getzen I owned previously; which was a good horn. I can't compare it to a Schilke C cornet, but it plays on a par with my XA1. As it's not an everyday horn, longevity may be a moot issue.

As I say, maybe I'm just a lucky dog on this one, but I won't be looking for another any time soon.

HTH,

Ben
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Brad361
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 1:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Andy Del wrote:
In short, they are not. They are a good quality instrument, but lack the real tonal qualities of a top notch horn. My old school bought a few, and while they were impressive as far as lag ability goes, longevity was an issue, and they simply lacked the sound of... well Kanstul, Bach, my European instruments, Olds recording, etc. etc.

Bang for buck, they are ok, but that’s it.

Cheers

Andy


I disagree, but everyone has an opinion. I’ve owned/played Carol horns, I can’t speak to their longevity, but I think they are not just “good horns for the money”, I think they’re good horns.

Brad
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MacMichael
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 15, 2020 11:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have been playing the heck out the CB balanced model over the past 5 years and received no complaints. Great horn.
My son plays the 5000 YST which is a fine trumpet too.
That said, both horns have a lacquer issue, it comes off over time,
but hey, that is what Bach horns have been doing since the 1980s!

The valve performance is outstanding, and intonation is spot-on in all the CarolBrass horns I have played.
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theslawdawg
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 16, 2020 12:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If I had to pick one out of the three, it would not be a CB, however, if I HAD to get a CB, I would not be too upset. I have the full size CB Dizzy, and it is a great player. Is it better than my Bach? In my opinion, no. Is the Bach better by a mile? Again, no.

I have a CB pocket trumpet that is just awesome.

I would also agree with Brad about the resale value. The good news is, that benefits the buyer, in this case, you.
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Manuel de los Campos
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 16, 2020 4:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

One month ago I payed a visit to a Dutch trumpet maker, not Van Laar or Adams but an independent maker, he is a great craftsman making trumpets out of sheet material, the only thing he buys is the valve block, braces and spit valves. We where discussing trumpet brands, not the sound they can deliver but rather the technical aspects; I am a technician as well so this I find very interesting.
He rates Carol Brass as very well made and he explained as well that Carol Brass Company respects the environment and labour, to me important cases.
Actually he preferred Carol Brass over an international known famous brand

I never played one but I am very interested in Carol Brass
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scarface
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 16, 2020 5:16 am    Post subject: Re: Do you recommend me to buy a carol brass horn? Reply with quote

Tro.sy wrote:
Do you have any experience with carol brass horns? Are they better than Yamaha or Bach horns?


I bought a used CB ml C on eBay for what seemed like a steal and probably won’t sell it. Needed a smaller tube while in comeback mode and it fit the bill. Barely anyone bid on it so the comment about resale seems true, but I would expect to get about what I paid for it if resold.

I did some research on YT before buying it and decided it was a strong value. Good enough for what I need, and less than half of the prices I’m seeing for a Bach CML.
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