trickg

Wow!

It's my understanding that when Gary decides to "clone" a mouthpiece, he only goes so far with it. In my understanding of the procedure, he uses much the same technology that Kanstul uses to obtain the exact dimensions, but he then runs those dimensions though his own modeling program and actually "improves" upon the original design by making minor adjustements to balance the mouthpiece for optimal playing efficiency, something that may have been lacking in the original.

That's my understanding of how GR reproduces mouthpieces of other makes and designs.

Bruce Lee

Thanks, Patrick! That was a great answer to the GR "cloning" issue.

For some time now, I have been following this thread, and my post was simply intended to defend a gentleman whose product line, and integrity, I admire greatly, Gary Radtke.

I strive to promote the product lines which I represent, and do so without disrespecting any other manufacturer in the marketplace today.

My intentions here, as always, were to educate rather than alienate. If anyone mistook my post for the latter, please feel free to Private Message me, and I will be more than happy to address the issue.

Best always,
Bruce

Larry Gianni

Hi All,

I'm writing to apologize for a slightly " heavy-handed " response to Mr. Lee's comment. Being Italian, I sometimes go on and on much too long ( you should see me try to talk with my hands and type at the same time ) and get a little too worked up about incidental things.

Reading back in my original post , I can now see how my comment using the term " Alpha Angle " could have been taken in a tone that wasn't intended by me. The inherent problem with written communication, on a personnel level, is sometimes the actual intent , without the benefit of facial expression and body language, that is customary to actual interpretation instead of perceived interpretation in normal communication between people is absent and this lack of additional subliminal info to the brain can easily bring on mis-construed results.

I do not want to see Trumpetmaster.com broken into factions and " camps " based on "gear use " or "trumpet methods learned " like other site seem to have. I get no " Cyber thrill " out of confrontation with any other member on this site, and actually try to avoid it, letting the natural laws of "supply and demand " dictate the trumpet publics buying habits.

In a slight irony to my statements , Zig Kanstul has stated public ally to the Los Angeles instrument manufacturing community that because of Dave Monette breaking the " glass ceiling " on trumpet prices, Mr Monette has inadvertently helped every other trumpet and mouthpiece maker get a much more equitable deal on the profit margin of there own product line.

Again, it's a beautiful , sunny day in Los Angeles ( sorry to rub that in Trumpet Mickey and Crazyhorns, residents or Minn. and NJ ) and I want to enjoy life with as little unnecessary confrontation as possible. If I really want to get " worked up " all I have to do is to get in my car and drive on that 'bleep, bleep, bleeping " notoriously congested Los Angeles freeway system.

"Hey son, were daddy's " Road Rage " gun he usually keeps under the driver's seat "

Drive Safely,all the best,

Larry

Tootsall

S'ok, Larry. "Chill". (If you want help "chillin'", come on up here. Windchill this morning was -41C.) Tough to get "hot about something" when the body's extremities are in the process of shutting down!

Maybe that's why Canadian Beer is stronger....we need a higher alcohol content to keep it from freezing.

gus

Don't worry Larry:

I am half Italian also and my wife is 100 % Italian
and when we are out of control with our Mediterranean
temper we eat some gnocchi alla bolognese or ravioli
and everything is fine. :)

Regards ( Ciao )

Gus

Larry Gianni

Gus,

What times dinner's , my stomach growled just reading your post.

Maybe, we can you get my good friend, Tootsall to send down some good Canadian beer and he can join us . We can drink that with our " bania cauda " ( spelled Bagna Cauda ) appetizer

Larenzo Miravalle Gianni
( my real birth name - Who Yaaa !!! )

Yeah, i know, my dad was as bad a speller as i was and actually mis-spelled Larenzo ( Lorenzo ) on my birth certificate. Too much celebrating over his first boy!!

gus

Larry:

Yeah,

Bagna Cauda, the Italian Fondue¡¡¡ I will ask my mother
in Law to prepare one this weekend only because of you¡¡¡.
I will eat with a Sangiovese red wine ( a little bit strong
for the Bagna, but I don't care ). It's Time to find good anchovys.

My grandpas were Lucchessi and Minaglia. and my wife
is Battistoni and Giannetti his mother. Besides I grew
up in an Italian neighborhood, I remember when I was
a kid all the ladies in the market ( and the vendors also)
speaking in a mix of Italian and Spanish ( Old times).
Ciao Larenzo Gianni.

Gus

Mikey

Theme from "The Godfather" plays softly in the background............

richtom

Larry asked me to comment on what I see in the import business.
Intellectual property rights are a hot issue in Washington and US Customs closely monitors the importation of copyrighted items and intellectual materials. The Far East is heavily into illegal copying of many items and unethical importers will attempt to sneak these infringement articles past customs.
An example would be (and I have handled this exact situation) a plastic toy car or truck may come in and it looks like no real vehicle and has no Ford or other trademarked auto maker logo on it. That is fine, but if the tires say Firestone or Goodyear or other trademarked tire manufactuere, without an agreement with the trademark holder, Customs will seize the items and will issue monetary penalties against the importer.
A few years ago, I had a real stinker of an importer come in. I knew he was not on the level but against my better judgement, we attempted to handle his imports or wearing apparel. The problem was, his supposed own logo bore an uncanny resemblence to a VERY famous shoe manufacturer's a leaping man. It was just reverse imaged.
Customs had fun with that one, an immediate seizure and a large fine. It seems the trademark owner had lawsuits against the importer on the trademark infringement.
By the way, a customs broker can be held every bit as responsible as the importer and face large monetary penalties in these situations unless we show Customs we had used reasonable care in handling the situation.
Even though we are independent from the government, we are licensed and monotored by them and are we are required to first protect the revenue of the United States and then be responsible to our customer.
Many of you are wondering what the heck this has to do with the topic.
If it is trademarked or copyrighted and registered with Customs, anyone making or importing these items must have permission from the holder of the copyright or trademarked goods to do so. If the items are not protected, it's a wide open game.
Should some unscrupulous individual overseas be able to clone or copy - even legally - a Monette or GR or whatever mouthpiece right down the its shape, all American maufacturers will suffer greatly. Can you imagine a cheap copy of a Prana or GR mouthpiece costing only $25? Who in the US could compete against that?
That is what scares me
By the way on a much less serious note, back in the early 70's when I could not get a teaching job or a decent gig, a frequent visitor to the broker I worked for was none other than Mrs. Schilke herself. She would come to our office and pick up the needed docs to clear the parts Mr. S had ordered from........drum roll.........Yamaha.
She was a very delightful lady.

Larry Gianni

Hey Richtom,

Great post - very useful info.

Staying on the cloning / copying theme with a little different twist;

I've been on a couple , what we call, " sampling session " where you get a call for a recording session, you get the particulars and accept a recording session call from a union contractor , report the session , when you ask about the music you'll be playing you usually get a vague response like "Hey , you know, the music will be some easy horn section stuff , it will be easy money " I'm in Local 47 out in Los Angeles , Ok, the date is booked

Well, you show up with other players usually a trombone and a couple saxes, you all warm up together, but are then instructed to only have one player in the booth at a time . Trumpet first .( Everything really starts to stink now, bad gut feeling time ) You are recorded playing scales , up 2 octaves at different volumes, with different articulations and different rhythmic patterns, at different speeds , soft , loud , vibrato , no vibrato, etc. and you are paid for a full union session scale, and all along you realize that you have been sampled and by accepting the session, contractually obligated to perform any playing that is asked of you. without explanation or obligation by the client.

I can smell them early now just by the tone of the call, and turn them down, but they will find someone to do it . Talk about your copyright infringement. They now have you forever, to do what ever they want with your talents and never have to pay you another dime more.
Can't re-posess a "sound " can you.

As long as all parties are Union members their is nothing the Union can or will do about it. It one members Rights to make a living vs. my Rights to make a living, and I guess I just lost. I actually think the Union is banking on the" sampler " more than the "samplee " to win this battle of technology and keep paying there dues.


LG

Plus with recording technology as it is today, they can make Maynard sound like Maurice Andre and vise versa." MacArthur Park " played on a Selmer Piccolo trumpet anyone?