Chicom "Weibster" and ACB Doubler comparison

[Antarctica]

About a year ago, I got back into playing horn. Pulled out my old 43 lightweight Bach Strad, and things started to come together fairly quickly - better than I expected.

In high school, I had bought a new Yamaha 231 student flugelhorn, which was good, although in my opinion, it really needed a third valve trigger. Nonetheless, I used it through college but eventually sold it when I moved on to guitar after school.

Having lots of fun with the trumpet, I started longing for a Flugel again. There seemed to be a lot more options these days, so I talked to a professional player I know and he indicated that the ACB Doubler was an excellent horn, almost indistinguishable to him from a Yamaha 631. So I checked them out online, got my heart set, and placed an order in January. But the delivery was expected to be 4-5 months!!

I was impatient. I was having fun and I wanted a flugelhorn in my life again! I knew that the doubler was a chinese horn but had the pedigree of ACB specifying it and checking it out to make sure all was well before I got it. I looked online at chicom horns and saw the Weibster on Ebay for $370. Just shy of half the price of a doubler (maybe that's why its called a doubler?), but delivery was quick, compared to the 5 months I might be waiting for the ACB. I decided to take a gamble and then see how I liked it compared to the ACB.

So let me state that this is not a thorough review of either horn. I don't consider myself a strong enough player anymore to do that effectively, and I really only have experience comparing both to the 231 and the few opportunities I got to play a Bach 183. This is really just to point out some of the differences and similarities.

The Chicom Weibster frankly blew me away when I got it. It was a whole lot of horn for under $400. Definitely on par with my Yamaha 231. I prefer silver horns (tone difference is negligible to my ear) so both the Webster and the ACB were ordered in silver. Quality wise, the Weibster is excellent, played perfectly out of the box. I was in love, and I played it a lot.

The ACB arrived sooner than expected - about three months. Initial thoughts upon arrival was that it was nearly identical to the weibster. Horn more or less the same, same case, etc. There was obviously a lot of pride taken by ACB in the delivery and presentation of the horn. It plays and sounds identical to the Weibster to me. There is a little silver flaking inside the bell, but its on the 'unfinished' portion of the horn.

Are they the same horn? No. They are very similar, but there are minute differences.

-The ACB doesn't have a lyre mount, which I prefer.
-There are small differences in hardware - water keys, brackets, etc.
-The ACB has the first valve water key mounted in the opposite direction and not on the very bottom of the first valve slide.
-The ACB third valve trigger tends to stick a bit more, but I could solve this by just bending the spring a bit I'm sure
-The ACB has a noticeably shorter first valve slide compared to the Weibster.

The last is probably the most significant differnce. I think ACB specs it short so that you keep it slightly pulled to be in tune and never sharp. Pushed in, it seems sharp to me, so I always pull it a bit. The only issue I have is that I tend to collect spit in the first valve quite a bit, so I drain it often, and it often needs to be checked in the process. I sometimes just use valve oil on the slides and I'm sure greasing it would more or less remedy the issue.

Same horn? No. Comparable horns? Yes. Worth double the cost for the ACB? Maybe. I bought the chicom ACB knowing I had the ACB horn coming, with no fear of getting junk. If I had ordered the other first, I would have been worried what i was going to really get, and I'm absolutely sure that if there were an issue, that trying to get it rectified would have been a nightmare. No concerns on that front with the ACB.

I'm sure that there is some absolute garbage coming out of China, but the Weibster turned out to be worth the gamble. YMMV with other chicom choices. If you want the assurance that you're getting a quality horn, going with Trent's ACB is a sure bet.

I'm happy with both. And stupidly being a horn hoarder, I'm keeping them both.

[spitvalve]

The real differences may show up later - maybe years down the road. If you give them equal playing time and care, see which horn develops issues first - red rot, solder joints breaking, etc. As you develop in your comeback, you may also notice subtle differences in the sound, intonation, playability, etc.

Maybe some blindfold tests with musical friends might help. See if they can tell a difference between the two horns.

But hoarding horns is cool. For Christmas one of my kids gave me a throw pillow for my office with the caption "Yes, I really do need all these trumpets."
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Bryan Fields
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1991 Bach LR180 ML 37S
1999 Getzen Eterna 700S
1977 Getzen Eterna 895S Flugelhorn
1969 Getzen Capri cornet
1995 UMI Benge 4PSP piccolo trumpet
Warburton and Stomvi Flex mouthpieces