What is your primary Bb and why?

[tstangel]

Hi!

My main is a Bach 43 from the late 60s, picked it up for a steal earlier this year and it just blew my 80' 37 out of the park in almost every way! Great intonation and tone that works for almost any scenario!
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1948 Olds Super
1940 Conn 48A vocabell
1968 Bach Strad 43
1930 Martin troubadour

[Louise Finch]

[mograph]

Mine's the old Bach Strad, because 1) I'm a cheap bugger, and 2) I still think that any shortcomings are mine, and not the horn's. Also, a change of mouthpiece (more shallow) really opened up the thing: easier, higher, but (and) buzzier. A bit too bright.

But mainly, I'm a cheap bugger!
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1985 Bach 37
1980 King 601 (it's bulletproof!)
1978 Couesnon flugelhorn
Playing for fun since 1979.
Fmr member 48th Highlanders of Canada Mil Band
Into that jazz devil music

[oliver king]

Mine is a tunable-bell 'frankenhorn'. A Getzen Capri was the donor horn, brass outer slides with nickel/silver inners, a 'vindabona' type leadpipe and tuning crook. There is a Bel Canto #54 bell (primary) a Bel Canto 59, Kanstul #7 and Kanstul 92a are the available bells.
Part of the instruction was the horn in hand should reflect the sound in your imagination. I can imagine quite a lot, his horn gets me closest to that.
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LB Bel Canto #59
Holton B47
Frankenhorn projects 1-5
Adams F1
Olds Super Tenor Trombone
Alesis QS8
B2MS3, B2GS3,

[Aj]

[Brassnose]

Funny how approaches differ. For playing outdoors, I usually take my #3, the Bach in the signature, because it projects better than my #1 (Schmidt) and #2 (Conn). Combined with an AR nickel silver mouthpiece, the Bach is great for those rock and funk lines or for playing in a stadium (which I do once a year in nasty weather just before Christmas). I don’t think the 6B would project as well but it is indeed easier to hear myself with the 6B.
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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

[giakara]

Lawler TL6-1A and TL5-1A both silver plated and both made in the creamy period of Lawler trumpets 2003-2004 are my favourite modern horns , i can decide for cornets , i onw six and realy like them all ...

Regards
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Lawler TL5-1A Bb 2015
Lawler TL6-1A Bb 2004
Lawler TL5-1A Bb 2003
Getzen eterna 910 C
Getzen eterna 850 cornet
Selmer Paris 3 valve picc
Yamaha 731 flugel
Carol mini pocket
Reeves/Purviance mpcs

[bebiperez]

Bach 37 bell 25 leadpipe for me. Meticulously built by Harry Carter in Indiana. Vintage style pinky hook, 3rd slide screw stop. VERY reasonable price for the quality of this instrument. Beautiful singing 37 sound, even intonation, great slotting and response.

[Danbassin]

My primary Bb is the Monette listed in my signature.

I was lucky to get a Bach Strad in middle school, after winning some prizes and over time customized that standard silver 37 as I began to play Monette mpcs. By the time I had my first (secondhand) Monette C, I had a 43 pipe installed and a rounded slide put on the Bb, and when I began to study with Charlie Schlueter, he helped make some further adjustments to that Bach. Still, for virtually all applications, the Monette I was playing worked better with my approach and musical goals, so unless I needed to play down to concert E3, or specific lead applications, the Bach 37 stayed in the case for maybe 90% of my playing.

After about seven or eight years of playing that secondhand STC-4 C, I got a decent job in music and was able to sell it after putting away money for a set of Monette Bb and C trumpets made for me. That Bb was a Prana LTJ that I used in all sorts of applications. (The C was a Midshank P1C). Ultimately, about ten years ago, I saw Dave’s first drawings of the horn that would become the Cornette, and I ended up selling the LTJ and another instrument to fund that remarkable horn - only the second after Ron Miles’s Cornette.

Well, after playing a number of wonderful vintage Bbs that weren’t Monettes, including a few that I had a vintage 80s Monette pipe affixed to, I found that I wasn’t reaching for a Bb trumpet as often as the Monettes and as fate would have it, I had a couple cool horns I was able to trade a friend towards the Monette Bb trumpet I now play.

Great non-Monettes along the way: a few Benge 6Xs - one from the early 80s and one early-70s; a very cool four-valve Marcinkiewicz quarter tone 4X large bore; one of the first Selmer CGs (#55!); a Frankenhorn Bach sterling silver 72 with some modular MK parts and the Monette pipe, plus a Martin Schmidt Orchester-Modell rotary.

Happy practicing, friends!
-DB
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Daniel Bassin
Conductor/Composer/Trumpeter/Improviser/Educator
I play:
Monette - CORNETTE/PranaXLT-STC Bb/MC-35/Raja A Piccolo;
Kromat C-Piccolo; Thein G-Piccolo; Various antique horns
MPCs - Monette Unity 1-7D and DM4LD

[dershem]

I finally got my dream horn. It's one I first played about 15 years ago when it was first made, and my understanding was that it was a very limited run. It plays better than any horn I've ever played, well, for me at least.
It's the Mic Gillette Marcinkiewicz Rembrandt. Very open leadpipe, .464 bore through the valves, opening to .468 at the bell tail. 5 3/8" bell, very light construction. Triggers on 1 and 3. I used to play on Mic's when he was still with us, and fell in love with it the first time I played it in 2008.
I can back off and play ballads with it, or push it and just blow. Wonderful sound, extremely responsive.
Sold a Benge CG, an X3 and a Conn Victor to pay for (most of) it, but it's worth it - I'll never need another trumpet.
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BKA! Mic Gillette was my mentor and friend.
Marcinkiewicz Mic G. trumpet, Custom Marcinkiewicz mpc. (Among others)
Marcinkiewicz Rembrandt flugel, Benge 8Z cornet, King 2B, Bach 36, Benge 190, Getzen 3062... many more. All Marc. mouthpieces.

[Jaw04]

My workhorse for gigs (commercial mostly) is the Yamaha 8310Z. It is easy to play, it plays in tune, I like playing it. It just works for every style and it isn't quirky, it's consistent, reliable and sounds like a trumpet. I've been playing Zs for like 15 years, it's comfy!

Lately I've been playing on a Martin Committee Deluxe 56 #2 bore in practice and teaching but I haven't used it for any performing yet. It is really inspiring and I love how it plays: the valves are awesome, the sound has character, the upper register sings, the blow is comfortable. I just don't like the intonation. If I get a chance to play more real jazz I'm going to take it out.

[Man Of Constant Sorrow]

I'm still sniffing water-key corks.

Dunno if I'll ever "graduate" to the corks from wine bottles. Drinking wine gives me headaches ... I"m in that 2% thusly affected.

Still tootin' on that old, pre-War F. Besson (Paris).
Patches, here'n'there ... looks like 20-miles of bad road ... was Melk'd, mouthpipe replaced.
Sweetest-playing horn this side of Heaven
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Sub-Optimal Hillbilly Jazz

[stumac]

For 4 years my No1 is my Jerome Wiss 6/20 with sterling silver bell playing 2nd/3rd trumpet in Symphony orchestra and 3rd in an amateur big band.

With a large mouthpiece Henri Selmer 4 it has a warmer tone but lights
up nicely with a Bach Mt Vernon 10-1/2C modified.

I have found my ultimate horn and do not lust for another, the only other in my stable that comes close is a 1949 Olds Super Recording.

Regards, Stuart.

[kerouack]

A Yamaha Artist model NY 3 GEN.
I tried horns in Thomann, 2 Spanish shops, Hub van lars in Paris... at that moment I was not looking for a " classical trumpet " bt other type, but I tried the artist model and was totally impressed, just not the sound I wanted.
That was 10 years ago.

When looking 4 months ago for an horn for classical music I went directly to try the artist models, got impressed again, I did not know if choosing the Chicago or the New York for B b.
I saw one NYC in eBay with great price and bought it.
I am still impressed.

[deandesi1@comcast.net]

Getzen 900 DLX

I've played Getzen's since high school. I like their sound, valves, etc. I tried Bach's, Schilke B2, and a few Yamaha's but I always go back. I recently added 900DLX. It's a bright sounding horn. Valves are fantastic as always. Maybe a bit of brand loyalty? Maybe cause they make them in the US? Which I feel good about. Reasonably priced?

My Flugelhorn and Cornet are doublers. Can't see paying the higher price for a horn that gets played less than 5% of the time. Both fit the need.
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Brian Woosley
Astoria Oregon
2023 Getzen 900DLX
1978 Getzen Eterna
George RawlinFlugelhorn
2020 Austin custom brass doubler cornet

1939 Pan American Cornet.
1917 JW York B-flat/A trumpet

[NRampmaiermusic]

I play a custom Bach 190 with a 43B bell from the mariachi series of horns. I'm thinking of possibly getting a new leadpipe, I think the 525 MTV from MK Drawing... anyone play those and thoughts?
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Bach 19043B Bb
Getzen 3001MVS Bb
Bach C190SL229 C
Powell Custom Flugelhorn Copper bell
Kanstul 920 Bb/A Piccolo
Greg Black Mouthpieces w/ Stomvi Sleeves

[Wesley]

You have caught me airing out two awesome horns. The first is a large bore Flip Oakes Wild Thing in raw brass with both spit valves. Love the sound and the natural way it fits in my hand. SLOTS GREAT!

The other is a Ken Larson medium bore raw brass, which also slots great, great valve action, nice sound and both spit valves.

Wesley
returning player
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WesleyR
1958 French Selmer, (.470) bore, 4-7/8 Bell
Flip Oakes Wild Thing
Ken Larson med. bore
1-1/2C Bach mouthpiece.

[dmh737]

1977 LA Benge 3X MLP.

It’s got that classic Benge sound. Not bright, not dark, but a roundness to it. There’s nothing it can’t do. It can be sweet and it will scream.At any dynamic and at any range, it just has the sound I’m looking for.
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Trumpet - LA Benge 3X+
Mouthpiece - Callet VF DT 10 top
Ken Titmus KTRT6 Backbore
flat.io

[Halflip]

If I have to play in a group or section setting, where I must rely on the trumpet to have the very best intonation and consistency of tone, response, and projection at a variety of dynamic levels, I suppose my go-to horn would be my Gen 1 8310Z.

I owned (and still own) a 6310Z, and wanted to try an 8310Z when they were first announced but hard to find. A music store in a neighboring city offered to order one for me on approval, and told Yamaha that I was an "artist". They must have hand-picked a really good example for me, because a couple of people who really know how to test a horn expressed amazement at how well my horn played, even in comparison to other Z horns. (I guess it's what we call a "keeper".)

If I am playing solo or alone for my own pleasure, I still favor my mid-70's King Golden Flairs. They have a very special tone that I find easy to control and shape.

The common thread for me with respect to these horns is they are remarkably easy to play; making them sing is a relatively effortless experience.
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"He that plays the King shall be welcome . . . " (Hamlet Act II, Scene 2, Line 1416)

"He had no concept of the instrument. He was blowing into it." -- Virgil Starkwell's cello teacher in "Take the Money and Run"

[Trumpjerele]

Since 10 years I play with a yamaha 8310Z, before that, I had a Conn 20b, so the change was very positive. The change in sound was like watching TV in HD for the first time.

A couple of local musicians were using that trumpet, I saw a good deal and decided to go for it. Shortly after that they started marketing the Gen 2.

I haven't tried many trumpets, but I love mine, I just wish it was more shock resistant. I bought a Yamaha 4335 to practice and reserve the 8310, but I missed the pistons and the sound, so I went back to my 8310 for everything, and sold the 4335.

A few months ago a friend lent me his bach 37. A lively sound but hard to play.

The 8310 is very easy to play, and still sometimes I suffer, damn, it's a trumpet!!! no need to add more difficulties.

And I do like my sound with it.
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Notice!!! Amateur musician without formal studies

Trumpet: Yamaha 8310Z
Mouthpiece: the great Yamaha11b4

Sax tenor: Yamaha YTS 23
Mouthpiece: Otto link tone edge