This album has been one of my favorites since I was a kid. It’s also one of the albums that convinced my mother that Jazz isn’t awful

There was another thread recently with a valve oil discussion, but I can’t find it. Anyway, what I have noticed is that Hetman leaves a lot of sticky, yellow buildup - especially in horns that are not cleaned regularly. Yamaha synthetic can turn into a hard green cement when left sitting too long, even in a brand new never used horn. Pretty much any synthetic, even when advertised as odorless has some sort of odor. A player might not notice it as much, but I sure do as a tech, especially since some days I seem to end up bathed in it. I switched to Berp for my personal horns years ago because the smells of most of the others were really bothering my sensitive sinuses, and have loved how it works. I’ve never had a horn in storage freeze up, and I don’t have to oil constantly. I’ve liked it for everything that crosses my bench because I haven’t yet found a horn it doesn’t work on. I still keep the other brands around because if I oil a new horn I’m not going to clean I like to use what it comes with, but I also haven’t found that the Berp reacts badly with most others. If you’re curious and want to try it, they sell a sample pack of the 3 piston viscosities. I find that no matter what brand you use, using a heavy rotor oil in place of slide grease on 1st and 3rd slides works super well. I swear, with as much as I’ve advertised for Berp they should pay me, but they don’t! I’ve been pushing for my work to be a dealer but they haven’t made the order yet. We’re moving to a new location soon, so that’s been the priority at the moment!

I’m a big fan of the Austin Custom brass acrylic tops. Paired with a heavy brass backbore, they play much closer to a metal mouthpiece than anything I’ve tried. I used them for marching/outdoor playing when I was in the Navy and just loved them. Trent has metal allergies and developed these for his needs. He makes any of the tops in acrylic or delrin, and is doing an acrylic rim now as well.
https://www.austincustombrass.biz/mpcs/

We got a bunch of B&S and Schertzer last year and they’ve all been wonderful! We still have a limited amount of B&S left - Challenger II Bb and C, and Exquisite Eb. They’ve all been perfect right out of the box.

@OldSchoolEuph All the Jupiter my shop gets have stainless pistons - have not seen a monel yet. Some have been heavily used loner horns, but have held up well.

B&S is another to consider - quite well made, but don’t generally go for high prices in the American market.
As far as Jupiter XO valves, go, though - I have seen zero issues. We regularly get them new, show demo, and very used, and though I have seen plenty of plating wear primarily from those that have been in the hands of sweaty kids, I have yet to see valve problems from the heavily used. I see hundreds per year now in all conditions, so a pretty good cross section.

I’ve played those 3 models - the Getzen is a pretty decent all around horn, the Lynx is a lighter weight lead horn, and the Yamaha depends on what era it’s from. I used a Lynx for several years for some New Orleans style brass band gigs, and it worked quite well in that setting. A friend had the Canadian Brass model and used it regularly in everything from brass quintet to big bands. The 6335 used to be one of Yamaha’s top level pro models, but now there many more to choose from with the 8335 and 9335 models that are just much better designed, and better players. Of course, condition is a big factor on any of them, especially the Yamaha. Yamahas that have been damaged never really feel the same again in my experience.
For modern horns in the budget category, you might want to take a look at the Jupiters. The XO series are excellent players, and the SQ intermediate models are more of a stripped down pro model than a dressed up student, and play very well. I actually keep one under my bench at work to practice on, and while it’s not as good as my Adams, I could easily gig on it if needed. I’ll include the link for the business I work for, but we currently don’t have any pro horns under $1200. New stock comes in all the time, though - if you ever have any questions about horns we have in stock I’m always happy to answer them!
www.brassandwinds.com

Looks like they were trying to copy the Getzen Renaissance and Edwards modular in the same model. I wouldn’t have high hopes for it, but once in a while you get one that’s put together ok.

When shopping used horns you really do have to weigh in a lot of factors with the cost, especially if it’s an older one. Repair costs can be significant, especially if new parts or a valve job is needed to make it play properly. Even when buying locally and the horn is in decent shape overall, there are many times it’s not reasonable to play before buying, so there is risk involved. I do quite a bit of estate sale buying, both for my personal collection and to flip, now that I have the ability to do my own repair. I still try to bargain sales price down to include repair costs, even though I do the work myself. I absolutely refuse to play test these horns until I’ve cleaned them, and most when I get them are not playable in their current state, so I really don’t know if I’ll like them or not. I do, however, get to have them in my hands and see their condition before I buy, and negotiate accordingly. Today, for instance, I bought an LA Benge at an estate sale. It’s filthy, stuck, and tarnished, but pistons have little wear, and body is straight with no previous damage. With an afternoon of work someone will love it, even if I don’t. I negotiated them down on the price because of the work needed, and walked away with a horn I can sell for 3X what I paid. The point is, you either have to know what you’re getting, or be prepared to either tie up the cash in a flip or a loss. To best get your money back, a horn with all its original parts and not in a trashed state is your best bet.

Bob Findley uses this at the beginning of his method - he was a Caruso student as well. We focused quite a bit on it in yearly master classes I had with him at the music camp I went to growing up. A lot of the same principles apply with other methods, such as Claude Gordon.