Posts made by Comeback

This is nice. Thanks for posting it.

Jim

@tmd said in Getzen Club:

I've never owned a Getzen Bb trumpet, although the new Eterna Deluxe horns look tempting.

Mike

These horns caught my eye too, Mike, though some of the available finishes are a bit too much for my taste. I have not tried one nor seen one, but I would like to.

Jim

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dillonmusic.com%2Fgetzen-eterna-deluxe-series.html&psig=AOvVaw1wydwr8OcHThehW42tb7cw&ust=1587842773239000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCIj--7nlgekCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

@Kehaulani said in Getzen Club:

Does Classic, in this sense, mean the Severinsen?

Since it's new, contractual obligations may prohibit the name Severinsen. So does the Classic actually hearken back to the Severinsen or are they two different horns?

The Classic has been around since the early 2000s. My understanding is that Getzen’s intent was to nearly replicate the old Severinsens.

I had mentioned in my initial post that I once owned a Getzen Eterna 900 Classic. I thought I would share my impressions of the horn. I bought the Classic because I wanted one brand new horn for my trumpet comeback effort. I had researched it, and relying on my positive experience with Severinsens, made the decision to buy. I was a little surprised when I received it because there was a bit of a problem with one valve. I was not surprised at all by Getzen’s response to my report of the issue. They took care of the problem right away and I had a fine new trumpet.

The Classic is promoted like this by Getzen: “Numerous requests from fans of the early 900 convinced the Getzen Company to return to the original specifications and reintroduce the trumpet as the 900 Eterna Classic.” I found this to be fairly accurate. Playing characteristics are nearly identical. There are some differences though. Some of these can be seen by comparing the photo of my current Sev with the photo of the Classic below. The wrap on the Classic is a little tighter than the Sev. There are slight differences in the bell shape too, which I found when fitting mutes. However, I found no shortcomings with my Classic. It met all of my expectations. The only reason I parted with it was due to a health condition I developed a couple years ago that seemed to spell the end of my trumpet playing days. Thankfully the health issue is behind me now. I miss my Classic, but my current Sev fills that void.

Jim

https://trumpetboards.com/assets/uploads/files/1587662664558-7bd393b7-9337-4275-9ee4-4a0756a52dfc-image.jpeg

Great topic, GeorgeB. I seem to only find 60 or so minutes a day for practice. Lip flexibility and finger dexterity are my two primary areas of focus right now. I do that sort or work right after doing long tone scales and before practicing tunes. If pressed for time, tunes will get sacrificed before flexibilities. This approach seems to be working for me, but progress is never as rapid as I would like it to be.

Jim

@Dr-GO said in Getzen Club:

As for the flugelhorn question Jim, I use it for outdoor concerts as it too has a large bore and projects well. I also use it for soft rock and recording more up beat ballads.

Here is a link to a recording I made using the Getzen Eterna on an up beat ballad:

Switching between 3 and 4 valves is easy as your ears almost guide you into knowing when you will need that quarter tone adjustment and using it to bridge into the pedal tones just feels so natural with 4 valves.

Listened to that ballad twice, Dr GO. Thank you for posting it. Your fine soloing showcased the Getzen 4 valve flugel effectively. The piano soloing was pretty cool too!

Jim

Thank you for all of the great information, Dr GO!

Jim

My mid-70s Severinsen is below. The case is an old Reunion Blues gig bag that still gets a lot of use.

Jim

Thanks for sharing, @Dr-GO ! I have no experience with the Power Bores. What mouthpiece do you use with it? How would you characterize its tonal color? Do you use the 4 valve flugel for gigging? Is it any problem switching back and forth from a 4 valve to a three valve instrument?

My Getzens have not seemed to me to be too sensitive to mouthpiece choice. I have been playing my current Sev with a Curry 3C. and am quite happy with the combination.

Jim

@Shifty, a section mate in community band plays a 700S and loves it. He may also own an 800S! Thank you for posting the link for plastic slide stops. If this thread endures as a source of information for those that own and play Getzen trumpets, it should be quite useful. The 900 Eterna Classic I owned had a clever slide stop, but I do not remember it as having any provision for adjustment.

Jim

Thanks Steve. That was really funny!

Jim

Several of us play Getzen horns regularly. Perhaps this thread will come to serve as a repository for all things Getzen.

I think I have owned four Getzen Bb trumpets so far: three Severinsens and one 900 Eterna Classic. Presently, a mid-1970s Severinsen is my primary horn. My current silver plated Sev is in remarkably good condition. Looking at it and concluding that it is nearly new is an easy thing to do. It has the usual adjustable third valve slide finger ring and no tuning aid on the first valve slide. It is light, responsive, produces great sound, and fits me perfectly. The valves work marvelously.

There are some who criticize the plastic slide stops commonly found on the Sev's and some other Getzen trumpets. Not me. I like them. They are quiet and do not project below the third valve slide, also I have never had one break or cause a single issue. They are easy to remove and replace for maintenance purposes too. They can be a little difficult to find. I have two for backups, but wonder if I will ever need them. I have experimented with the three adjustment slots on the slide stops. The slot nearest to the center of the stop works well for my third valve tuning needs.

Jim

When I started this thread back in November, our world was certainly a different place. So much has happened that was unimaginable back then. Writing about our horns might seem trivial to some, but for us I think it may help us sort of keep our grip.

Mrs. and I, and our progeny, have fared well so far in the age of COVID-19, and we are truly thankful. While we do not get to see our sons and their families in person and hug our grandchildren, we do get to see them and interact with them via FaceTime. And we have maintained a more or less exclusive three person social group with my elderly mother. Sure hope my fellow TB members are doing alright too.

I identified my 1970s Getzen Severinsen as "The One" for me back in November, and it remains so. My Sev has no aid for first valve tuning, which I don't seem to need. It is simple and fits me like a glove, and its great sound and response is exactly what I expect from a good Sev, based upon the others I have owned.

I have been playing my restored lacquered LeBlanc 707 Sonic the last couple days. Why not? It is not like I am preparing for an imminent performance of any sort! The lacquer on the LeBlanc has a noticeably different "feel" in my hands compared to the silver plated Sev, which is quite pleasing. Its first valve slide trigger does not affect my left hand grip and is easy to operate with either my left or right thumbs, not that I have ever had to do much of that. It seems that I can go back and forth between the Sev and LeBlanc with little conscious effort.

Early this year, almost by accident, I acquired a Bach 180S37 Strad, the second one of these that I have owned. Like my first Strad, it appears to have been mostly a closet queen. It has the potential to become "The One" sometime, but it needs a trip to my tech first, which may not happen for a little while. I want it chem-cleaned and the valve alignment checked, along with some attention paid to the third valve slide, which is a little too tight. I expect great sound and responsiveness from a Strad and this one delivers. I do have to adapt more to the Srad when switching from the other trumpets due to the fixed third valve slide ring and the first valve slide thumb hook, but it is not too much of a challenge..

Jim

Thanks for posting this, Steve

I have lived in Fort Wayne, IN most of my life. Fort Wayne is often called the Summit City since it is located near the headwaters of the Maumee River, which flows northeast to Lake Erie and the Wabash River, which flows southwest and eventually joins the Ohio River. This song works for me concerning my hometown and state.

Mrs. and I are both 67 y/o. We are ordering groceries for delivery, which has been working out OK. We are also keeping my 88 y/o mom supplied with groceries. I dropped off her portion of the latest order this morning. She is doing well. She has her very old standard poodle for company and Mrs. and I visit her once a week and share a meal. She (mom) is still an active accordionist, and while the band she leads is on hiatus she is working on some solo pieces. Her comment about her music making this morning was that “Brahms must have been crazy!” She asked me what I was working on now that my community band was no longer meeting. I told her that I was working on arrangements of Stardust and Moon River that require transposition, along with my normal stuff. Mrs. has been playing her piano more frequently, which I always enjoy. The last couple days, though, she has been captivated by a new jigsaw puzzle. All told, we three seniors are adjusting well enough to “The New Reality”.

It might be interesting for some forum members to post accounts of community band performances in a single thread. If such a thing has been started previously, please forgive me.

My community band’s most recent concert was last Tuesday night. It was held in the large performance hall of our local university, which is normal. Several hundred people were in attendance. Selections played in the first half of the concert were: Sea Songs by R.V. Williams; Solas Anne by S.R. Hazo; Festivo by V. Nelhybel; Rifton Wed by J. Giroux; and Armenian Dances by A. Reed. Selections played in the second half were: Circus Thrills March by D. Blackwell; Zampa by L.J.F. Herald, The Phantom of the Opera arr. by W. Barker; Star Wars the Phantom Menace arr. by D. Blackwell; and Seventy Six Trombones arr. by L. Anderson.

The concert was well received and the band enjoyed a standing ovation at its conclusion. My personal favorite number was Armenian Dances. I played 2nd trumpet and enjoyed being challenged by its rhythms and other distinctive features. My 88 y/o mother found her favorite in Seventy Six Trombones. Our next concert is scheduled for May 3. In light of increasing COVID19 concerns, I sure hope we get to perform it.

Jim

My present daily player is a 180S37 Strad acquired used several weeks ago. Just as a prior 180S37 did, it meets all my present needs and expectations. My strategy today, in order to reduce maintenance needs going forward, is to commit to playing the Strad with a Curry 3C. exclusively. I have tried such a thing in the past unsuccessfully, so this commitment may or may not last. If successful, I may sell off a few horns in a couple months.

Jim

I was reminded yesterday afternoon of the consequences of owning more instruments than I may need. My three Bb trumpets and two Bb cornets were due for cleaning. All were disassembled, soaked in a Dawn seasoned bath, scrubbed, rinsed thoroughly, dried, re-lubed, reassembled, wiped down, and stored away, except for the one that I am currently using. During the process my Mrs. asked how I kept all of those parts straight! Several hours after I’d begun, the bathtub and sink I’d used were cleaned to the point where Mrs. was satisfied and my man-room was restored to its normal state of comfortable familiar disorder. After every one of these episodes I ask myself if I really need all of this stuff...

This is getting silly. I restored my OP so any interested parties can parse my words and phrases and determine for themselves if I have committed some sort of villainy.

The post was intended to be a humorous but factual observation - a gentle telling of the way it was. That is all. It may be time for me to take a break from TB. My best efforts to conform to 21st century social mores may be insufficient for a Internet forum.