Testing cornets

[Seymor B Fudd]

Testing cornets

Ever since the Covid 19 attacked us I have had my living base far from my hometown – intermittently returning home for periods. During this time I have practiced a lot (sigh...)trying to re-vamp my embouchure for the umpteenth time – with some success!
I have not played trumpet, only cornet, switching between my Getzen Custom (=3850) and the Yamaha 2330II. Mouthpiece mostly Schilke 14 3D3 but sometimes Wick Ultra 1 ½.

Slowly during the year, I´ve developed a certain feeling – the Yamaha is the easier one to play!! Not that it has the tonal spectrum of the 3850 – but but. It seems that I having gotten older – could do well with a horn that is more easy to play, while at the same time displaying some quality in the sound (not too bright, too thin, still with a core).
So I decided that I upon returning back in town I should do something about this. So here I am testing 4 cornets:
3850/Yamaha 2330 II/Yamaha 6330II and a Schlagerl ’Hans Gantsch’ (provided by Thomann.de). The latter got ample praise by Trent Austin in a you tube clip.

As always you learn something new (or revive old knowledge): when I picked up the 6330 I was somewhat surprised at the thin sound! But – having played the thing during a day I was instead struck by the ease and ”direct” response. Agile! Sound 70% of the 3850, sort of. You don´t really run in a horn – the horn is running in you! All the infinite feedback loops must have time to establish themselves – then your system knows how to handle the thing (hopefully). A clear cut difference both in ease of playing, sound etc to the Yamaha2330II (which is an entry model).

Then the Schlagerl arrived! Extremely nicely built handsome, looks very expensive but is not (well…). Same story. Took me a day and a half to open it up, that is a little longer.
Thoroughly comparing the cornets, mostly the 6330 and the Schlagerl I arrived at the conclusion, or should I say insight that the 6330 is the one that suits me. My heart wanted the Schlagerl but even if it perhaps is a finer horn, the Yamaha was the easiest one to play. The sound of these two horns is just about the same with me blowing. In a subtle way the 6330 felt more direct, did not require ”handling”, something that I experienced with the Schlagerl. The sound is quite nice - a bit brighter than the 3850 but still with a "core". Feels direct - in comparison the 3850 a millisecond slower - no one can hear, just an intutitive feeling.
But I guess, as always that this is so personal. Another guy might have arrived at the opposite decision. So now I own 5 cornets….
_________________
Cornets: mp 143D3/ DW Ultra 1,5 C
Getzen 300 series
Yamaha YCRD2330II
Yamaha YCR6330II
Getzen Eterna Eb
Trumpets:
Yamaha 6335 RC Schilke 14B
King Super 20 Symphony DB (1970)
Selmer Eb/D trumpet (1974)

[p76]

G'day Seymour,

Thanks for that - your experience I think is shared by many. Yamaha seem to make cornets that are easier to play, and require less muscle to get them to do what you want, at the potential loss of that last little bit of timbre and thickness of sound.

I recall a couple of years ago testing cornets for my Brass Band - it came down to Besson Sovereigns and Yamaha Xenos....the Besson had the better (richer, thicker) sound, but the Yamahas were so much easier to play. Our members have been very happy with them.

Personally I love my Olds A6 Ambassador, which I think is as easy as a Yam to play, but with a bit more core to it.

Thanks again for your experiences (would love to get my hands on a Gansch to see what it's like)

Cheers,
Roger
_________________
Bb - Selmer Radial, Yamaha YTR634, Kanstul 1001, Kanstul 700.
C - Yamaha 641.
Cornet - Olds Ambassador A6T, Besson 723, Olds Ambassador Long.
Flugel - Kanstul 1525
Mpc. - ACB 3CS, ACB 3ES, Curry 3BBC, Kanstul FB Flugel

[Brassnose]

Yeah, there is nothing quite like actual play testing Pre-COVID, I totally intended to buy a new trumpet from a custom maker, went there (and had tested other horns in other shops before a lot) just to find out there is nothing quite like my trusted old Bach 43. So instead of buying a new trumpet for big band/rock/funk, I bought the AR Resonance mouthpiece in the signature (which suits me much better than the pieces I played before). Saved a lot of money that is now put aside for a quality bass trumpet (or something else, as the “need” arises).

I’d LOVE to have a cornet but have absolutely no need for one, so that probably won’t happen.
_________________
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

[delano]

No need for a cornet??? That's blasphemy. Of course you need a cornet! Maybe even more than one.

[Grits Burgh]

[Brassnose]

Hey guys, this is great! I’ll start looking and will tell everyone complaining about me having too many horns that my fellow THers have made a very strong point that everyone needs at least one cornet.

As for joy of playing I do have to say that my rotary and my bass trumpet are my absolute favorites, hard to top that, but you never know … in fact I HAVE been eyeing the new Getzen
_________________
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

[Grits Burgh]

Yeah, I'd like to get my hands on the new Getzen cornet as well. I think that I might manage to pick one up at some point.

Warm regards,
Grits
_________________
Bach Stradivarius 37 (1971)
Schilke HC 1
Getzen 3810 C Cornet
King Master Bb Cornet (1945)
B&S 3145 Challenger I Series Flugelhorn
Life is short; buy every horn you want and die happy.

[blbaumgarn]

I agree with Delano................too many wives now that could be a problem. Too many cornets, that sounds like a good idea to me.
_________________
"There are two sides to a trumpeter's personality,
there is one that lives to lay waste to woodwinds and strings, leaving them lie blue and lifeless along a swath of destruction that is a
trumpeter's fury-then there is the dark side!" Irving Bush