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Adams A8


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Brassnose
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Joined: 07 Mar 2016
Posts: 2022
Location: Germany

PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2022 8:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Don’t worry about the bore on the X-13 feeling a tad small. It’s just numbers. I can play fine on a Schilke B6 (M bore, one of my favorite horns I don’t own) and I can also play fine on a Schagerl Wunderhorn bass trumpet (large bore, large instrument, lotsa tubing, another excellent horn I don’t own but could play extensively at some point). It ain’t the bore alone.
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Phoenix864
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Joined: 20 May 2019
Posts: 223
Location: Washington DC, US

PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2022 9:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

TheGecko251 wrote:
Phoenix864 wrote:
A couple of thoughts about the A8 - it's a cool horn, and I've been lucky to have the chance to play one. The one I played had a gold brass bell and was set up with roughly a Bach 3C for the integrated mouthpiece. I really liked it - it was a rich and full sound, just a bit darker than an A4LT w/ a red brass bell and an A4 w/ a gold brass bell. It doesn't sparkle quite as much as the A4LT, but is a bit warmer. I'd say the A8 is on the more open side (which I prefer) and felt very consistent throughout the registers. In terms of playing characteristics, I'd certainly be happy playing one as my primary horn, through I slightly preferred the A4/A4LT (felt like they slotted slightly better for me). I was also very impressed with the A1v2.

However, I think the A8 has a couple of non-playing related downsides. You mentioned that you want something unique, and I can certainly understand that. However, as someone who regularly plays a Harrelson Summit out-and-about, I find that having a unique horn often attracts negative attention. I've found there can be some pressure to 'live up to the horn,' ie others expecting you to play great to match the supposed 'greatness' of the horn. Not to say you won't play great, but I feel more pressure compared to when I play a 'standard' horn. I avoid taking the Summit to some gigs for this reason.

I've also found the design of the horn also attracts more complaints about blending. In my experience the Summit functionally blends fine, but the design can influence others' perception of the sound, where different horn = different sound = doesn't blend.

The last thing is the integrated mouthpiece. It's cool, but after going through the swap process on the demo horn I'd worry it would become annoying. There are a ton of threads to screw in/unscrew, so removing/installing takes a bit - certainly nothing like the second it takes to swap a regular mouthpiece. You also limit your mouthpiece choices and make it difficult to try other mouthpieces. The integrated mouthpiece alone would be enough to encourage me to look at another horn.

I'd echo the Edwards X13 recommendation. I haven't tried one, but it's the next horn I'd like to try out. I've heard lots of great things about how it plays and it offers a bit of a unique design while not being too noticeable.


Thanks for the input, especially your comparison to the different bells on the a4/a4lt, that's really useful. Interesting about the slotting though, I would think that the integrated mouthpiece would give the A8 the edge. After comparing the a4/lt/8 do you think that articulation suffers with the 8? That's maybe the only downside I've heard, aside from the mouthpiece switching being tough (I rarely switch for context). As for the X-13, I think the bore might be a tad small, I tried a ytr-8xxxR that was .463 I think and it felt cozier than my .460 horn now but still left a lot to be desired. Hence the interest in the big boy .470 a8


Regarding the slotting, I would say how a horn slots is mainly a product of the venturi size and the gap. Generally, less gap = looser slots. I think the effect of venturi size is less consistent, but I find a larger (within reason, .346-.350) venturi makes the slots a bit more forgiving for me. From my understanding, the integrated mouthpiece on the A8 doesn't do anything unusual with the venturi or gap - they shouldn't be far off from the setup on the A4. Rather, the integrated mouthpiece is 'high efficiency,' intended to prevent the standing sound wave inside the horn from vibrating the leadpipe/mouthpiece area and losing energy. Take that with a grain of salt though, since its been almost a year since I demo'ed the horn and chatted with ACB about the integrated mouthpiece.

The idea of adjusting the gap and venturi to tune how the horn feels is why I really like the Harrelson VGR, since it allows you to quickly and easily change both. It's a cool feature, but I wouldn't say it's an absolute 'must have.'

Going back to the setup of the A8 vs A4, since (from my memory) they are pretty similar, I found the articulation between the two horns to be similar as well. I certainly had no qualms with the clarity or crispness of the articulations on the A8.

Regarding the bore size, I've found that bore size alone tells you nothing about how a horn plays. Venturi, gap, leadpipe taper, and mouthpice backbore size all play a larger role in how open a horn feels. I honestly didn't know that the A8 was a .470 till you mentioned it - I can still make my Summit feel more open than the A8 by switching to a large venturi (Summit is .460 bore). I would not write off any horns based on bore size alone - you really have to try them first to see how 'stuffy' you find them.
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ericmpena
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Joined: 17 Nov 2021
Posts: 254
Location: Kyle, TX

PostPosted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 12:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Check these out. One might interest you.

Thane Performance with large red brass bell. (Versatile)
Tumultus. (Darkest)
Edwards X-13. (Brightest)

From my experience, I’d pass on Adam’s. The A8 was probably my least favorite horn from them.
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TheGecko251
Regular Member


Joined: 15 Nov 2022
Posts: 20
Location: La -> Philly

PostPosted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 4:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Phoenix864 wrote:
TheGecko251 wrote:
Phoenix864 wrote:
A couple of thoughts about the A8 - it's a cool horn, and I've been lucky to have the chance to play one. The one I played had a gold brass bell and was set up with roughly a Bach 3C for the integrated mouthpiece. I really liked it - it was a rich and full sound, just a bit darker than an A4LT w/ a red brass bell and an A4 w/ a gold brass bell. It doesn't sparkle quite as much as the A4LT, but is a bit warmer. I'd say the A8 is on the more open side (which I prefer) and felt very consistent throughout the registers. In terms of playing characteristics, I'd certainly be happy playing one as my primary horn, through I slightly preferred the A4/A4LT (felt like they slotted slightly better for me). I was also very impressed with the A1v2.

However, I think the A8 has a couple of non-playing related downsides. You mentioned that you want something unique, and I can certainly understand that. However, as someone who regularly plays a Harrelson Summit out-and-about, I find that having a unique horn often attracts negative attention. I've found there can be some pressure to 'live up to the horn,' ie others expecting you to play great to match the supposed 'greatness' of the horn. Not to say you won't play great, but I feel more pressure compared to when I play a 'standard' horn. I avoid taking the Summit to some gigs for this reason.

I've also found the design of the horn also attracts more complaints about blending. In my experience the Summit functionally blends fine, but the design can influence others' perception of the sound, where different horn = different sound = doesn't blend.

The last thing is the integrated mouthpiece. It's cool, but after going through the swap process on the demo horn I'd worry it would become annoying. There are a ton of threads to screw in/unscrew, so removing/installing takes a bit - certainly nothing like the second it takes to swap a regular mouthpiece. You also limit your mouthpiece choices and make it difficult to try other mouthpieces. The integrated mouthpiece alone would be enough to encourage me to look at another horn.

I'd echo the Edwards X13 recommendation. I haven't tried one, but it's the next horn I'd like to try out. I've heard lots of great things about how it plays and it offers a bit of a unique design while not being too noticeable.


Thanks for the input, especially your comparison to the different bells on the a4/a4lt, that's really useful. Interesting about the slotting though, I would think that the integrated mouthpiece would give the A8 the edge. After comparing the a4/lt/8 do you think that articulation suffers with the 8? That's maybe the only downside I've heard, aside from the mouthpiece switching being tough (I rarely switch for context). As for the X-13, I think the bore might be a tad small, I tried a ytr-8xxxR that was .463 I think and it felt cozier than my .460 horn now but still left a lot to be desired. Hence the interest in the big boy .470 a8


Regarding the slotting, I would say how a horn slots is mainly a product of the venturi size and the gap. Generally, less gap = looser slots. I think the effect of venturi size is less consistent, but I find a larger (within reason, .346-.350) venturi makes the slots a bit more forgiving for me. From my understanding, the integrated mouthpiece on the A8 doesn't do anything unusual with the venturi or gap - they shouldn't be far off from the setup on the A4. Rather, the integrated mouthpiece is 'high efficiency,' intended to prevent the standing sound wave inside the horn from vibrating the leadpipe/mouthpiece area and losing energy. Take that with a grain of salt though, since its been almost a year since I demo'ed the horn and chatted with ACB about the integrated mouthpiece.

The idea of adjusting the gap and venturi to tune how the horn feels is why I really like the Harrelson VGR, since it allows you to quickly and easily change both. It's a cool feature, but I wouldn't say it's an absolute 'must have.'

Going back to the setup of the A8 vs A4, since (from my memory) they are pretty similar, I found the articulation between the two horns to be similar as well. I certainly had no qualms with the clarity or crispness of the articulations on the A8.

Regarding the bore size, I've found that bore size alone tells you nothing about how a horn plays. Venturi, gap, leadpipe taper, and mouthpice backbore size all play a larger role in how open a horn feels. I honestly didn't know that the A8 was a .470 till you mentioned it - I can still make my Summit feel more open than the A8 by switching to a large venturi (Summit is .460 bore). I would not write off any horns based on bore size alone - you really have to try them first to see how 'stuffy' you find them.


Ok awesome! Thanks a lot.
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