Posts made by flugelgirl

Ambassadors can be good players, though I don’t think they compare with most modern pro horns. I feel their playability has more to do with condition than year of production, since so many have either been played to death or have had a lot of possibly questionable repair. I have one I picked up at an estate sale for $50 that isn’t bad, and I occasionally use it as a loaner for when I’m working on a friend’s horn. The pristine barely played one I got for my niece is a better player, and they are within a couple of years of production. Those that I play tested after valve jobs when apprenticing at Dan Oberloh’s shop were night and day before and after.
If you’re looking for an inexpensive backup, Ambassadors are a great choice as long as they are in good condition.

Nothing wrong at all with a new Yamaha with warranty, but used Advantage line, especially when buying ebay, can be hit or miss. The amount of damage I’m seeing on school-owned trumpets is what makes me wary - these trumpets were about 5 years old, and though they might not look to have serious damage, all damage seems to telegraph throughout the horn since they are fairly soft. Buying new and encouraging the student to treat the instrument with respect, no problem. Used of unknown origin may mean an expensive trip to the shop for an inexpensive instrument.
My little student is currently playing a Yamaha, but it is a 2335 that my shop got as NOS, and it is far superior to the current AD line.

@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!

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.

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.

If I remember right, Josh Landress had a trumpet that was given to Jerry Lewis by Dizzy.

@administrator it actually plays really well! The trick is just finding a situation to play it in - not like there’s been any demand for it in modern groups!

It really is an exceptional little horn! It’s also tiny - about the size of an Eb cornet. Cutest tiny flugel ever!

Thought you all might enjoy my newest blog post - this horn was super fun to work on and is a great player as well!
https://www.brassandwinds.com/blogs/news/what-s-on-amanda-s-bench-a-conn-eb-soprano-flugelhorn

Nice buy! I like the 43 and 72 bells much better than the 37 - better sound IMO. The 37 always feels a bit more nasal to me. Good news is since Bach’s tend to retain their value, even if you have to put some $$ into it you’ll get it back. Whether you end up liking it or not, it could always end up a good trade towards something you like better.

I have one from 1939, and a short shank fits best, which is why your Bach doesn’t fit correctly. Any Denis Wick or ACB short shank fits perfectly. Probably any other brand as long as it’s short shank.

I wouldn’t really go for a vintage C if you want something reliable unless you’re certain it’s in good condition. Many of them do not really have great intonation, and were built with a different sound concept in mind than what’s currently acceptable for an orchestral setting. However, I play a vintage Schilke, it plays quite well in tune, but I use it more for church services and brass quintet than anything else. My last C was a French Besson Classic and they are quite good for any situation- built by Kanstul and can be picked up at a fair price. Good one to look for - I only sold mine because it didn’t suit me as well as my Schilke does. We have plenty of Yamaha in stock, and my favorites are the Chicago and the NY with Malone bell. PM if you’re interested in one of them and I can tell you my personal favorites in stock as I play test them all. When testing, I check for intonation, resonance, and general ease of play, and if the horn meets that criteria and I could gig comfortably with it tomorrow, I recommend it first to customers.
www.brassandwinds.com

Pedagogy can be a difficult topic to describe online. It’s pretty normal in these forums to see someone asking a question that would be better answered in person, and getting a lot of varied answers, most making little sense. Theory questions are easier to answer on a forum, except that I see a lot of people here posting about how they don’t think knowing it makes one a better player as soon as someone brings it up. If you are my student, you are learning theory while you play, because understanding what you are playing makes you both a more musical player and a better sight reader. If you are my student, though, you are also very lucky because I don’t take many!
As for our “former user”, I don’t miss him at all. He seemed to post a lot just to feel superior, and wasn’t always right about it. I do agree, though, that too many useful threads devolve into stupid humor, which is too bad.

I’ll be posting mine to our shop Facebook page as well as to the Taps for Veterans page.

Welcome! I totally understand the frustration of starting a new instrument, though my journey is the opposite of yours! I started ukulele a month ago, but have been getting paid to play the trumpet for 35yrs, and they are nothing alike! What is the same, though, is understanding how to practice efficiently and fit it in your schedule. I hope you have a lot of fun! I certainly am having fun with uke, even though I’m still kind of terrible!

Here’s the catalog info for that model:

@tjveloce That’s a Silver tone master model. You can’t put a trumpet mouthpiece in a cornet. These guys play better with a short shank cornet mouthpiece, but will do ok with a long shank cornet if that’s all you’ve got.

Not so into that video - I have never had a need to own those pliers, and I pull slides that have been stuck for decades on a regular basis. The heat and penetrating oil parts are good - be very careful not to burn lacquer! Any extreme heat will also unsolder parts. A few light taps to the outside of that slide leg along with heat and penetrating oil would probably have broken up that corrosion without the need to unsolder, as it wasn’t very severe. I really don’t recommend that you do it yourself, as I’ve seen more damage done by people trying to remove stuck slides or mouthpieces than by actually dropping horns! Any time you do this without the proper tools and skills, it could end up a mess for your tech to fix later. Really think twice about doing this on vintage horns where replacement parts are not as readily available! You might want to use that backup horn you don’t like instead.

The Master models are really great players - I have a Silvertone Master from 1939 that’s near mint, and it’s super fun to play! I did a 1920s model for work that had a little wear, but was an equally good player. Definitely check the compression and overall condition, but they are versatile and fun to play. I’ve used mine both in Jazz jams and BBB and it fit in nicely. I prefer my Adams in BBB, but the Master did the job almost as well, and no one complained about it not being a shepherd crook - they were too fascinated by the engraving
Here’s a blog post featuring a couple.. I have also done others at work closer in age to mine, and they have been good players as well.
https://www.brassandwinds.com/blogs/news/what-s-on-my-bench-a-1915-king-master-model-cornet

Using flat fingers can mean uneven wear on your pistons and casings, which will eventually slow them down and cause you to need a rebuild. Nothing is worse than to try to play a trumpet with correct hand position that someone else has played with their knuckles for a long time - the only way the pistons will respond is if you play with your knuckles, too. If you value resale at all, try to keep your fingers curved and on the buttons.