Best posts made by flugelgirl

As a tech that works for a retailer and goes through hundreds of horns per year, here’s my thoughts:
Bach 190s aren’t really better than the 180s, they’re just different. The 37s and 43s are still wildly inconsistent and you just have to pick one you like. The only difference is in specific models - the Artisan, LR19043B Mariachi, and Commercial models tend to be much more consistent, and will play much closer to another horn of the same model.
The Yamaha artist series are very consistent when new. When used, there may be a difference, especially between generations 1 or 2, or if they have had any damage. Yamahas always feel different after damage and repair.
Take a look at our inventory - I go through everything and can answer any questions you might have. We also have a very generous return policy.
www.brassandwinds.com

Hundreds of trumpets! We’ve recently made some big deals with Conn-Selmer and Yamaha, and have tons of trumpets in inventory and more on the way. Bb, C, Eb, picc, flugel, cornets, student and pro horns. We also still have a bunch of great Jupiter and B&S still in stock! If you need something special on your holiday list you might want to check out our site! As always, I personally check all the brass and am happy to answer any questions you might have.
www.brassandwinds.com

These days advanced degrees are not a given that an applicant will make a premier audition. After college loan repayment programs started, I ended up working with lots of musicians with MA and PHD in the fleet bands. Fleet/ field bands shouldn’t be overlooked - they are still a great career option, and I certainly enjoyed the opportunity to move to different locations and travel more than the premier bands do. For any military band, an audition is required, along with medical screening and background checks. Most musicians end up with a secret clearance because you end up playing ceremonies in spaces that can require it, so a clean background is a must. Upon acceptance, all bands require boot camp except The President’s Own, and all fleet/field bands except Air Force have a required school to pass after boot camp. Contact your closest local bands for more information, and contact a recruiter to set up an audition. If he only plans to join as a musician, he should not sign any paperwork until he passes the audition and is accepted into the music program. Good luck to him!

@tmd No idea, maybe. Just what I’ve observed from horns I’ve worked on, from brand new to very used.

@ottisiii just make sure you find buttons specific to the model of your trumpet. Changing the buttons can change the valve alignment.

We’re receiving 10 pallets of instruments in the next couple of days, and will have horns to suit most budgets. There are some discounts available for folks who pick up locally rather than ship, so please schedule a visit if there’s something you’re interested in and you plan on visiting the Seattle area! I’m also happy to do some demo videos if you can’t visit but wonder how some horns compare.

@GeorgeB You can always order the sample pack that comes with all three formulas to figure out which one works best. What I have found is that #1 works well for horns with good compression and tight tolerances, #2 for those with moderate compression, and 3 for significantly worn pistons. I use #1 on all my brand new horns with great results.

We haven’t had any lately. If I remember correctly,that’s what the Adams A6 is based on,but it’s a much better horn!

@Pinstriper They will list as I finish them, but I will do blog posts on some before they list. There are a lot of nice 22Bs of varying age and condition, a handful of 2B and 26B, a few 8B, 80A, and 40B as well as a couple of King Liberty and many others. My own personal 40A will also list soon - I traded it for another horn I liked from this lot.

BTW, the Yamaha Advantage line tends to be very soft and thin, trumpets as well. I would steer away from used in either one, as I’ve seen what happens to the school fleets.

At this point they are all old enough that you can’t judge one by another. Condition is everything when it comes to vintage horns, especially those designed with students in mind. The ‘Get an Ambassador” advice given to students on rental horns doesn’t always apply so well if the Ambassador they find has had a lot of use and/or abuse.

We currently have a ton of new and open box trumpets in stock! Save with an open box instrument that plays just like brand new, with one year of shop coverage and a generous return policy to find just the right fit. We have some fantastic prices on some great playing horns! See our link below, and use the code TRUMPETBOARDS15 to get an extra 15% off. Please feel free to share with friends and students! I go through all these trumpets personally, so if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask!
https://www.brassandwinds.com/collections/open-box-trumpets

The most important thing with trombones is slide action - which you won’t be able to test on eBay. Be prepared if you buy used online that it will probably need some hand slide work from your local tech. Student trombones don’t survive quite as well as student trumpets just because they tend to be more delicate, and handslides are also very prone to red rot since most kids never clean anything. If you’re buying online, make sure you can return.

I’ve played Easter services for lots of different churches over the years on both East and West Coasts, and it really just depends on the specific church what they have wanted in terms of music. Some have been large orchestras, brass quintets/quartets, larger brass ensembles, or solo trumpet and organ. Sometimes they have been thrown-together groups of volunteers with a couple of paid professionals, other times the entire group was made up of pros. Most of the brass quintets and quartets I got to hire and rehearse my own personnel, which was great. I’ve never had a contract for any of them, but never had them try to pay me less, either. Some denominations will try to recruit to their church in hopes they would get next years music for free, but I’ve always had a great comeback for that one! For years I volunteered at an animal shelter, and they desperately needed people on Sunday mornings because everyone else was at church. They can’t say a word when you spend your Sundays volunteering!
This year I’m playing for Lutherans - not sure of the size of the group, but the charts are easy. There will be another trumpet player I don’t know - hopefully he plays well!

Well, an Eb trumpet is not an Eb cornet. They sound and blend differently, and both are difficult to play. They take a lot of practice for sound and intonation, which also means getting used to the group you’re playing with and their intonation challenges. As far as horns go, some BBB players I know are playing quite well on Yamaha Eb cornets. We had one in at work recently that I play tested, and it was quite nice. That may be a way to go if you’re going to continue on Eb cornet. If not, work with what you’ve got.

@neal085 Yes, the AD is for Advantage. Unfortunately I can’t tell you much about a lot of the student trombones out there since we don’t carry a lot of student instruments, but have found with Yamaha and Jupiter that the intermediate models are a big step up from the student models. Also, be prepared with trombones to invest in hand slide work at some point, as kids are often not careful about bumping into something until they get used to that slide! It takes much less to mess up a trombone than it does a trumpet, and kids are pretty good at messing them up. Hope you find what you’re looking for!

Playing Maria Schneider’s charts definitely feels more like wind ensemble than big band. I’ve found that my practice and preparation for her stuff is much closer to what I do for wind ensemble, with some changes thrown in. Her music really needs a director unless you’ve performed the piece multiple times with the same group. She writes some very interesting music - some I have enjoyed, but for me some of it is rather a chore. Not saying it doesn’t have tremendous value, it’s just not my personal taste in Jazz. I find some of the crossover stuff very interesting, but not all of it suits my personal taste. I have, however, been getting into Meg Okura lately, which falls into this category, I think.

My favorite of the lower cost pics is the Jupiter - find one and you won’t regret it. They play waaayyyy above their price point, and are better than any Getzen or Selmer I’ve played. Another nice one that may be easier to find in the European market is the Fides - played one at NAMM last year and it was quite a nice player.

One thing to remember is that when you get back into those rehearsals, especially with amateur groups, your endurance will suffer even if you’ve been practicing. Adjusting (or trying to!) to other folks intonation will tire you out faster, especially since a lot of them will not have kept up their practice habits, so don’t get too discouraged once you go back.
I still have no idea when my next gig will be or who it will be with - everything I had on the books is cancelled up to October. It’s pretty depressing! Thankful that I married a guitarist so I’ve got someone to play with right now, but we are both pretty bored. If things open up for small groups soon, we have two different couples we can play with (Bass/drums) to play some jazz with, at least.

@neal085 true enough. Entry level Yamaha AD line is made in China. Conn-Selmer Prelude line are also made in China. King seem to fare a bit better, though, and are made in the Eastlake factory. Jupiter are made in Taiwan, but intermediate and pro models are very nicely made and leagues above the entry level.