drKmod

Really, I want a 1sZ/3RL or just about any other Calicchio I can afford.

CJDJazzTpt

Duda's new Calicchios far exceed the Calicchio's of old. I know Domenic made some great horns. (ex. Chuck Findley's 1s/2 circa 1968 I think!)
Chris made great horns as well. I have friends who can attest to that, but when they play my DUDA axe, they all want mine instead. This shows that John's horns are something special.

When people ask me here in New Orleans or out on tour what kind of horn I play and what they should try before they buy, I tell them to try a Duda made Calicchio then try everything else that they want, then go back to try the Calicchio again. This should show the difference in Duda's craftsmanship as compared to others..... No comparison in my book!
:Quick story:
I was on the road in South Jersey playing a gig when a local band director invited us (the horn section plus drums & bass) to stop in on his high school band class the next morning for a 'clinic'. He was a trumpet player as well and had some good all around chops. When I played next to him in their Jazz Band setting my sound had more personality than his and if I am not mistaken he placed an order for a Calicchio the next morning after trying my horn for about 20 minutes after the class. He had been playing his Mt. Vernon Bach since he bought it all those years ago. After 20 minutes behind my axe he was ready for the switch...... So I give Duda his just due and say that his horns make my trumpet playing life easier!

WFUnix

I haven't had the pleasure to try a Calicchio but I hope that Washington Music Center will have some in stock when I stop by in July. In particular I am interested in trying the R37. I hope to compare it to a Kanstul 1500 and Conn Vintage One with rose brass bell. I am an amateur "legit" trumpet player that likes a dark, big sound with some resistance. I like medium slots (nothing too wide), good projection, and excellent response. Any other models I should try? I play a GR67L mouthpiece. I get the impression that Calicchios have more of a commerical reputation, similar to the Schilke's and old Benge's. Currently I play a Schilke B2L but after trying a friend's Kanstul 1500 I really liked the big sound I got (but found it to be too open above the staff).

This talk about John Duda has me curious - what does John do differently than Dominic or Chris? Does he still use the same bell mandrels, jigs, and other machinery? Has he introduced new ways of producing these horns? Has he tweaked the designs? Or is he just more interested in detail?

I look forward to getting more aquainted with Calicchio line - the horns seem intriguing.

Thanks,

WFUnix

CalicchioMan

Tulsa Calicchio's are great!!! John is making some great horns!!!

In response to the original question....I have owned Chris and Domenick Calicchio horns...they have been great too...I currently own 3 Tulsa Calicchio's: 1sZ/3RL (.468), 1s/2 (ML, golplated) and a 3/7 (ml with red brass bell, not to be confused with the R37 model)...I have to say that the bigggest improvement/difference is focus, pureness in sound, flexibility and projection.. If you have a chance to try one..DO IT!


I also play a Hollywood Calicchio Flugel....I am looking forward to John making a Tulsa Flugel!

Larry Gianni

Hello,

First to answer WFUnix's question, what John (and his staff) is doing with the Tulsa Calicchio's is that he is simply doing what Dominic started and doing it RIGHT. Nothing has been changed from the way Dominick made the instrument, including leadpipe and bells, since the late 50’s (and some techniques date back to the Hollywood Calicchio tradition beginning in 1947), including the same painstaking methods.

John's goal was to bring back the “Dominick “back to the Calicchio line.
The Tulsa shop uses the same leadpipe mandrel’s (Dominick eventually developed 10 leadpipe designs by the mid 60’s) developed by Dominick when he brought company from New York to Hollywood in 1947, the same bell mandrill’s made and developed by Dominick, same valve casing design, valve porting design, valve guide design, bell and leadpipe bracing design, tuning slide design, metal alloys used, etc that Dominick and his crew used until his death in 1979.

All the leadpipe and bell mandrel are all original. They have never been copied or altered in any manner .The 1s bell made today in Tulsa is made from the very same bell mandrel that Chuck Findley’s was made in 1968 ( including the labor intensive technique ) or the #3 bell is the drawn from the same mandrel Maynard Ferguson's large bore Calicchio was made from in 1954.

You can go right down the line;

Brisbois, Gozzo, Rasey, Audino, Hey, Grant, Davis, Findley, Ferguson, Coppola, Harner, Biviano, Maxwell, Ferguson, Hubinon, Johnson, Miyashiro, Schmidt, Szabo,Thomas, Trisari, Trigg etc. . . .

the leadpipes and bells that were made for the trumpets these guys and the other Calicchio " greats " used to make so much great and demanding music and developed their sensation careers were made off the same exact , one of a kind , never altered , leadpipe and bell mandrels that Chops1,Vesuehume, Calicchioman, Rhdoc, Kenne60 , CDJazztrpt , gphorn, Jokien, Dyson, Balt58, Lars, Mark935 , Jazzman , Urquhart, ISsmith606, etc. are now playing on. Sort of a “mindblower “isn’t it.

Again, I don’t believe any other line of trumpets can boost;

1) of such a line-up of trumpet “elites “that play Calicchio trumpets on as high professional level

2) plus then add the undesputable statement that every #1, 1s, 2 and #3 bell ever made , produced and eventually mounted and every # 3,2,7,9 etc leadpipe ever drawn ,produced and played are from the same original , one of a kind, unaltered , 50 plus year old, hand designed leadpipe and bell mandrill made and used by the founder of the line. Think about it.

Even the machinery used by Dominick in his original Hollywood shop is still in use today to draw, bend and cut the bells and leadpipe some 50 plus years later.

So to put it simply, what John and crew is doing is bringing back to the " trumpet manufactering " table is a very sincere goal that no Calicchio leave his shop (sometimes to the determent of his own pocketbook, just ask Bart - " Your killing me, John !!!! ") until the utmost quality, care, consistency, and exacting tolerances and standards have been met and the respect due Mr. Dominick Calicchio and his tradition have been given

Larry

More on all this later

Veldkamp

This afternoon I tested the new Calicchios made in Tulsa by John Duda and his staff. I played a R3-7 ML, 3/9 L (Hubbard), 1s3 reversed lead pipe L and a standard 1s7.

I must say that the quality is better then the last years before Tulsa. Valves are better and intonation is also improved (d3 is in tune now). I liked the 1s3 reversed very much and will be a good alternative for the 1s2. The R3-7 and 3/9 is more suited for jazzsolos. The 1s7 is more of a leadhorn suited for bigband and popmusic.

more info on the Calicchio site.

Trumpet Player

Hi all:

It's comforting to read that Mr. Duda is staying true to the course!

A completely handmade trumpet in the old fashoned, hard working ethic that Dominick had started. He could have gone down the mass production road and marketed a few fancy titled models like the "super excaliber high note model" but he didn't. I think it is very nice and rare in this bussiness that someone comes along with the older personalized attention to detail and not just be out for the money, but he seems to be about keeping true to the legend of Dominick and making the best horns or dare I say even better horns than Dominick.

I just have a few questions about his manufacturing of the horns.

Does he truly make everything handmade and in house. Some companies say they are handmade by them but they really send out for different parts like the valve blocks and "assemble" them in house. (Lawler) I heard that Zig Kanstul makes a lot of horns for companies under their own labels. Zig is a master and I'm sure he will bring a great deal of craftmanship and integrity to any company or line of instruments. I'm just saying the descriptions that different brands use are misleading sometimes. "Handcrafted" "hand adjusted" "Hand tuned" "hand adjusted bell and leadpipe"?

I think John Duda is a true "craftsman" and a true craftsman doesn't need to use these descriptive words in their marketing. He just takes his time and produces less horns but makes all the parts himself by hand.

At least I think he does.

So I guess this is my question: does Duda truly make everything under his one roof in Tulsa.
Even the plating of the horns?

I'm not sure if there is a difference I just think that if a horn is made in one place, the metal is formed and is assembled and plated under the same roof by the same group of guy's it makes a better product.

It is reassuring as a player that if I call up the shop and a few doors down is the machiene room and the plating room and the guy's working in those areas can be talked to by Dave right after he talks to me if he felt he needed to for any reason.

But that is just my humble opinion.

Just wondering, James (Trumpet Player)

Veldkamp

They make there own bells, leadpipes and valves. I don't know if they do their own plating. I don't think it's that important if they do their own plating bottom line is that it's done right.

Im glad the valves aren't used in other brands...

CJDJazzTpt

Here is some cool information about Calicchio with the help of Larry Gianni.

Betweem 1927 and today - Calicchio has made approximately 5100 trumpets.

They started at serial no. 1000.... no trumpets were stamped 3100 to 3999 (subtract 900) and it could conservatively be predicted that around 500 (or more) stamped casings were scrapped over the years that never became a trumpet but used up a serial number. Casings are stamped before the knuckles are silver soldered on, so if they are 'screwed up' for any reason, Calicchio doesn't reissue the serial no.

Thats an average of only (77 years divided by 5100 =) just under 67 trumpets a year during Calicchio's existence. Thats not a lot, so based on the percentage of pros who picked Calicchio vs the number actually produced, you could probably conservatively say that over 50% of all Calicchio's went into the hands of pros who depended on them for their lively hood and built their careers with them for the most part. This is a testament to Calicchio's striving craftsmanship and Duda is definitely raising the bar. No other trumpet manufacturer can boast such a high percentage of top rate clientele.....

Here's some other info on a few other major brands: (Disclaimer: this is not a Bach, Schilke, or Benge bashing session)

Bach - puts out 12,000 to 15,000 trumpets per year. Even in 1930 (using the serial number lists) Bach produced more than 1000 trumpets and it steadily rose from there.

Schilke - puts out about 1200 a year now. 1960 they produced 500 and it kept rising (they started in the late 50's).... Their picc being the only real "pro' instrument used by a lot of players...C Trumpets ... no one
Bb trumpets
S 42 Faddis/Ingram/Wise
B6 Chase/Soloff (B,S, & T days)/Faddis (early on)
B5 Baptist/DiMartino
B1 Biviano/Mosello Sandoval used a B1 and X3 but then went to LeBlanc. Thats not many guys who are exclusive Schilke guys since they started.

Benge - no one (Clyman, Alpert, Porcino, Gordon...Burbank Benges...O'Donnell, CG Benge) more guys played original Bessons than ever played Chicago, Burbank, or LA Benges.

Just thought this would be some useful info for you to have.... I posted this a while back in the Zeus forum but they didn't seem to appreciate this so I figured that guys (and gals) in the Calicchio forum would.

Everything at Calicchio is handmade. The only thing that they send out is the trumpets for silver plating. They do the lacquer 'in house' as well.

Cory

Trumpet Player

Wow!!!

Thanks Cory and Veldkamp!

Great info! I think John Duda is quite a nice change in this modern times of manufacturing that we live in.

So who does the silver plating? My horn will most likely be silver plated.

James