Man... wait till you try the Conn V1. It comes with two tuning slides and a heavy valve cap system so you can really tweak the settings if you're into that sort of thing. It really doesn't need it. Out of case with no mods it is probably one of the best horns I've ever played (it replaced my Xeno). Great valves. I had the rose brass model. I'm anxious to hear what you think about it.

Oh yeah... I liked the sound on the Getzen best.

I think overall I agree with Eric, the Getzen is the smoothest, although the XENO has an edginess I like.

Thanks for the feedback, guys!

When I first listened to the recordings (the original wav files), I thought the Xeno sounded the best. It was a little surprising, though, since I think it sounds the worst in person. The sound is fine when playing in the staff, but as soon as I get above the staff, the tone thins out and becomes a bit too piercing and brassy for my tastes.

I'm anxious to hear your thoughts on the Conn Vintage One recording (posted today).

Don't like the V1. Sorry, I bet you do, I thought I would. It also sounds like you have to work harder for it.

On another note, I have been playing the the prototype of the new Eclipse Large Bore trumpet today and last week. Now that is one easy horn to play! Keep searching, don't settle. I have just found what I ahave been looking for, you will too!

You're right, Ron. The ConnV1 is harder to play. It requires more air support than any trumpet I've ever played. If I back off on the volume (i.e. play at my normal volume), the Conn sounds weak --noticeably worse than the other trumpets in the roundup.

I also agree with your advice not to settle. While it's tempting to buy the best of this group (maybe the Getzen), I'm having a hard time justifying the expense for little noticeable gain. Particularly since I don't *love* any of these new horns.

Well so much for all my Conn V1 hype! LOL Did you try the rounded tuning slide? Might make a difference (good or bad).

When you mentioned the valves and how awkward is was to hold I knew it wasn't the one for you. Those are two very important factors. To me - the Getzen still sounds the best. The Xeno was too bright.

You definitely don't want to settle. You're gonna be spending a lot of time with the one that you choose and you have every right in the world to be SUPER PICKY.

On the mouthpiece tip - have you tried Curry?

Yeah, I tried both slides on the Conn, but I didn't hear a noticeable difference. I didn't even bother with the valve cap/weight system though.

The answer to the Curry question can be found in my recent 'mouthpiece trial' journal entry. I look forward to getting more bad advice from you there...

Just kidding! I couldn't resist ;-)

hey Rick, whats the name of the song by chet baker that you played in your trumpet comparison samples? I'm trying to pick it up, it gets a bit hard to do during the fast part, though. I think your yamaha sounds best, it has a nice crisp jazzy sound, but not much better than the bach; it's a wize idea to stay with your bach until you come across an instrument that for sure dominates it. Thanks

The name of the tune is "It's You Or No One". You can find it on the album "She Was Too Good To Me". It's also on the Chet Baker compilation "Love Songs".

For my clips, I was reading the transcription of the solo from the book "28 Modern Jazz Trumpet Solos, Book 2" by Ken Slone. You can order it at jazzbooks.com.

-Rick

I liked this solo so much I bought the book. Perhaps you can help me.

I've been practicing this solo constantly for about 3 weeks and can not nail the fast phrases...

I completly stumble on the part starting with bar 14 - (e,f, c#, e) escpecially in moving from from f to c# to e.

Do you use traditional fingering for these notes or some alternate fingering? I do ok from this point on (no ways near as fast as your recording), but at least better than the first phrase.

Your story and website give me a lot of inspiration. I'm about 4 months into my comeback (22yr layoff). Thank you for sharing your journey in such great detail.

Hi Mat,

Nope, I don't use alternate fingering or any other 'tricks'...

Since you're having difficulty, I'd recommend taking that passage at a slow pace (where you can play it perfectly) and gradually work on increasing the speed. There aren't any secrets or shortcuts, it's really just an issue of dexterity and coordination. Clarke studies could help, and of course there are tons of Arabans exercises that address this as well.

But really, at four months into your comeback, I wouldn't put too much pressure on yourself. When I was at that stage, I barely thought about playing real music. I was strictly in the rebuilding stage...

Keep at it!

-Rick

Rick,

Here's my "too-sense" worth. I liked the jazz (C.Baker) sound on the Getzen the best for what you were playing. The Zeno is a great all-round horn if you're playing different styles (big band, combo, dixie, R&B) as it has that edge but if you back off, it will sound warm and intimate. It sounds like you're playing it the same way you would the Bach, which is understandable. For some reason I didn't care much for the Bach.

At various times I have owned and played the Schillke B1, Martin Committee (1942 model), Chicago Benge, Conn Constellation, Selmer lightweight, Yahama 6310B, Yahama Zeno 83385 (and other top end Yahama's), Bach 180, Schillke X3, Kanstul ZKT 1510 (wayne bergeron model), and my current horn the Yahama 8310 (the new Bobby Shew model).

After some "adjusting" by Bobby on the 8310, it is my hands-down favorite and I haven't regretted the change from the first note. You might want to give it a try as it's great for jazz and big band etc.

Just my opinion.

Dan J.

ps. I have some clips on my website of me playing with different horns over the years if you want to check them out.

www.danjacobsmusic.com

I live in no man's land, trumpet wise, so I had to buy online sight unseen, based on other people's judgements to narrow the choices. I couldn't afford to buy three and send two back, so I had to maximize the chance of getting it right the first time.

I liked the sound of the Getzen on this site the best, even though you wound up sticking with your weather-beaten old Bach. It was a big deciding factor in making my choice, so I thank you for the resource.

Based on your experiences, I was a bit worried about having to break in my valves to get them running well. I think you got a lemon. I pulled mine out of the plastic wrap, put in my mouthpiece, and started playing right out of the box. I've never seen smoother valves, and all my other horns are 30-50 years old, and well broken in. I didn't break out the oil until I had been playing for maybe half an hour, and that was only because I started to have misgivings about possibly running them too dry.

I've only had it for a couple of weeks, but so far I have not had even the slightest twinge of a problem out of the valves yet. Getzen's reputation seems well-deserved to me. Smooth like butter that's just at the melting point, but still slightly firm. Not too stiff, not too loose. I don't think it can get much better than this.

I don't detect any "wow" difference in how it sounds either. Like a trumpet, just the same as my other three, go figure. However, it was worth the money just to have something in 100% condition mechanically. The slides are smooth as just-melting butter too, and that's really amazing to me. Every other horn I've played on, the third valve slide has been a real problem child. Probably because the previous owners of said horns never used them.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your comments and helping me with this decision.

I prefer the Bach - nicest sounding over all the range -- maybe 'cos I have a Strad tho.

The three trumpet choices you have chosen to sample are all magnificent trumpets.

Valve-quality seems to be a factor in your decision; but, all these horns possess the finest quality valves and casings. Also, though the looks and feel of the instrument in your hands are required to replace an old horn, I feel focusing on the sound you are looking for is the key to proper instrumental selection.

I would say that the Getzen trumpet, though certainly a very different yet pleasing design (the spit-valves are certainly a plus) from the Conn and Xeno, simply does not have the tone warmth of these other trumpets. The Conn, especially with the rose-metal, is known for the dark, luscious tone. On the other hand, the Xeno, which does still posses that warm sound, is generally a bit edgier in comparison. So it is up to your desires in sound you are looking for. If you want a deep, bell-tone orchestral horn, go for the Conn. If you are planning to jam at gigs or in want of that big-band sound for jazz, go for the Xeno.

I play a Bach Strad, a great, all-around horn. If these selections don’t work out, I recommend giving this classic horn-choice a shot. Good luck!

The Yamaha, hands down !!