Best posts made by J. Jericho

I have a couple of Kelly 3C's for cold weather work. I suspect that they'd be fine under the hot Sun, too. It's no fun putting a blisteringly hot mouthpiece to one's lips! I do find that they insulate, rather than conduct, so using them during moderate temperatures gives me the sensation of heating my lips, and I prefer the heat from my lips to be absorbed, rather than reflected.

They work like metal mouthpieces in every way, except for a slight lessening of complex overtones; the timbre is very slightly less full, but not enough to concern me, and not enough for most listeners to notice.

Using a plastic mouthpiece will change the balance of the horn, as it weighs significantly less than brass, and mute work is affected as well.

Kelly offers an inexpensive way to try some different mouthpiece sizes, and quality and durability are top notch, in my experience.

@lake-serperior Welcome to TrumpetBoards.com!

Depending upon your abilities, goals, and budget, a generic answer would be to check out Bach Stradivarius Model 37 and Yamaha YTR-6335. These are versatile, quality trumpets that will accompany you on your musical journey indefinitely.

The ones you mentioned are probably playable upgrades from your present horn, and there are a number of vintage horns that could meet your needs as well or better. Good valves are a must; otherwise you'll have to spend $450 - $600 to have them redone. Be aware that almost any used horn will need a bit of relatively inexpensive repairs, so it would be wise to budget accordingly.

We're always here to answer any questions you may have.

Here's a demonstration of how to play a Bundy trumpet by ear:

Here's how I post photos on TrumpetBoards:

1. Make sure there's a photo on the hard drive, whether in Pictures or Downloads.

2. Use https://fileminimizer-pictures.en.softonic.com/download to compress the file.

3. Click on the Upload Image icon (second from the right above the message body in Reply on TrumpetBoards).

4. , Select the FILEminimizer version of the image.

5. Click Open (my example result below).

Timbre, phrasing, voicing, counterpoint, building to a climax - all here:

You know how YouTube makes suggestions of videos you might watch. Here's one:

administrator, your work is appreciated. I wish you success at herding all those errant electrons into their proper places.

@flugelgirl said in Building and Repairing:

Technicians tend to keep our info to ourselves because we’ve seen what happens when DIYers work on stuff, and it’s almost never good. It can be hard to guide a good apprentice right in front of you, and even harder to guide anonymous folks on the internet. There’s a reason we go to school and/or apprentice with good techs - it’s a hard trade to learn! Not only do we not want to lose any possible sources of income, but we also want to save you from breaking more than you fix and having a higher repair bill in the end. We also don’t want to be blamed for giving you just enough info to be a danger to your equipment, and then be blamed for it. The same goes for pro players/teachers, although it applies more to lost income. There are many players doing some kind of YouTube free lessons, but you don’t end up with the full benefit of the lesson without feedback from the teacher. Sometimes it’s just enough info to be dangerous as well, depending on the student and the lesson.
I’ve been getting paid to play for 35 years, and as a tech for 3.5 years. Neither pays enough that I live any sort of glamorous life, though having the benefit of a pension from my career in Navy bands has made my repair career a possibility. During COVID, both pro musicians and techs have suffered, many to the point of needing to change careers. Many have not only lost income, but also gigs that would advance their careers. I definitely lost two gigs due to Covid that would have helped me quite a bit! Many techs that lost business have also had to deal with the possibility of being exposed to Covid through customer horns - not an easy living, for sure. Since I work on horns before they go up for sale, I try to send as much business to local techs as I can. If you don’t use them, they may not be there to help when you need them!

In case you haven't seen this one yet...

IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED….

A friend of mine has two tickets to the 2020 Super Bowl here in Miami, both box seats. He paid $11,500 each. They come with ride to and from the airport, lunch, dinner, and $400 bar tab. Also, 2 back stage passes to the winner’s locker room.

He didn’t realize last year when he bought them, it was going to be on the same day as his wedding.

If you are interested he is looking for someone to take his place…it’s at St Stephen's Church here in Miami at 3:00 PM that Saturday. Her name is Ashley, she’s 5’4”, about 115 lbs. , and she is a good cook too. She loves to fish and hunt. She’ll be the one in the white dress, up front.

@rowuk My experience with good techs is very much like yours. I have not built a trumpet from scratch, however. I knew a particularly skilled and generous instrument repairman/fabricator who allowed me to not only observe, but also on occasion participate in repairing and servicing various instruments, and he at times guided me in working on my own instruments, for which I am forever humbly grateful.

The genetic wiring in my brain has always enabled me to excel at all things mechanical, and I have always been willing to share my knowledge with others without concern that someone would steal business from me or outdo me in other ways, because I knew it would be very difficult at best for them to do so. If someone is better than I am at something, that means that there is room for my improvement, and it also means that they deserve the patronage of those looking for expertise.

I have observed that those who jealously guard their "secrets" may have shortcomings that they do not want others to discover and are uncomfortable having others looking over their shoulder.

On balance, I also feel that there are those who have no innate ability in certain things and should not be encouraged to pursue them, as disaster surely awaits them.

@barliman2001 My father-in-law suffered from the eventually fatal mix of TIAs, Alzheimer's, and dementia, which transformed him from an intelligent, witty, and caring person into a tortured humanoid animal for several years, so I'm not unaware of this type of misery and the effect it has not only on the sufferer, but the people around them who love them and go through the anguish of watching the slow, methodical destruction of a human being. A friend of mine also died a slow death from Alzheimer's. It wasn't pretty.

That having been said, much humor involves someone's misfortune, and we can still take a lighthearted approach to our own mortality and vulnerability in spite of it.

@Andrew-Stark Welcome to TrumpetBoards!

I've played and owned more than a few trumpets, and I'm cured of N+1, so my #1 instrument is my 1962 Olds Studio, which is not only my favorite Olds, but my favorite trumpet, period.