rowuk

Um............, Schilke has traditionally had the tightest valves in the industry with no "break in" problems. The Bauerfeind valves used on many custom instruments also do not show this type of issue (these are only examples of "extremely tight" and I am sure that there are other great valves). This is clearly a production or material PROBLEM that needs to be adressed by the manufacturer - not pushed off on the customer. This is basic quality control that keeps the reputation up (or down). A new custom trumpet is just that. I pay a premium to get it right the first time. Slides and valves should be like silk - from the very beginning. If that is not the design goal, the trumpet cannot be considered "professional".

In the old days, this could have been used as an excuse. Manufacturing techniques have come a LONG way and technical/manufacturing problems are just not acceptable anymore, period.

Just like Brett Getzen has been very open and forthcoming about improvements that he has made, we are all interested in what VCT has in store for us! Thanks for the input!

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

Fluffy615

Hi Phil,
It's Bob P. from NJCU and Hoboken!! How are you. I expected to bump into you down there this year. I hope everything is going well for you. I look foward to hearing from you.

Phil Rinaldi

rowuk-

Unfortunitally I do not remember the exact verbiage used to describe to me what I was trying to describe to 11thchair.
I do know that there are no problems with the horn (either with materials or production...these were worked out the eight years before the horn went on the market) and it is a very professional horn.
I was just informed that as of the New Year, the valves are no longer coming in quite like this.
In my opinion, VCI should describe this and keep the horn like it was because my valves did come in like this and that after one week they went from very good valves to amazing.
And I mean absolutely amazing, as good or better than Shilke and Yamaha (used to be my personal favorite).

Feel free to keep the questions or comments coming.
I will do my best to answer everything.
But do know, I am an Artist Representative and I am not involved in manufacturing.
I do help with some design and marketing.

All the best.

__________________
Peace,

Phil Rinaldi

Trumpet Player in the New York City Area
Owner; Rinaldi Entertainment, L.L.C.
Artist Representative; Van Cleave Trumpets, L.L.C.

Phil Rinaldi

Bobby Baby!!!

What's shakin?

Not around much this year.
Between Rinaldi Entertainment, Van Cleave, my personal career, and my father's business ventures; I'm swamped.

Billy C. did hire me to play some scream trumpet at three weddings with Casino International this spring/summer.
He said you were on the gig, so hopefully I'll see you then.

Keep my E-Mail (phil@philrinaldi.com) and hit me up if you need anything or want to get together before we see each other this spring/summer.

__________________
Peace,

Phil Rinaldi

Trumpet Player in the New York City Area
Owner; Rinaldi Entertainment, L.L.C.
Artist Representative; Van Cleave Trumpets, L.L.C.

bigaggietrumpet

Ok, for starters, I am not a MVC appologist, just a guy with a little manufacturing knowledge. Let's remember a few facts here:
1)MVC is a relatively new brand. There will be "kinks" that need to be adjusted.

2) Look at the MVC price. Why does this matter? Kinda simple. To make a valve piston move like silk, the tolerances between the piston surface and the valve wall have to be tight. I won't try to BS you and act like I know the tolerance, but just guessing, I'm gonna say probably no more than a tenth of an inch, most likely hundredths of an inch. To do this, you have to use extremely precise lathes. Yes, they are computer controlled now. Unfortunately, there are sometimes calibration issues. A computer can only be so accurate. Add to that the fact that there is mechanical slack between the gears of any system, and you can easily argue that the technology could be at fault for a difference of +/- a few hundredths, and it only gets worse as the machine gets older. Take off too much, you get sloppy valves, blowaround, intonation issues. Take off too little, and the valves are tight, but drag and aren't as fast. However, because of the lovely abrasive nature of friction, tightness goes away. That's pretty much the reasoning why Kanstul (who I obviously like, I won't hide it) and others have a break in period. They find it easier, and maybe cheaper, too, to make the valves slightly oversized and let them wear down to their sweet spot.

This matters because to machine something that precise takes expensive equipment, and often quite a few man-hours. It's expensive to make valves of the quality like you mention. And you pay, as you said, a premium price for Bauerfind valves. MVC's are way cheaper than anything I know of with Bauerfind. So are they professional? Define professional. Odds are, there are a lot of "professional" horns that wouldn't fit that bill, and yet they are marketed as such. It's all just a marketing ploy. Honestly, I don't care if a horn is a professional level or not, if I can play and get the sound that I want out of it, I'll play anything. Just my .02 worth.

__________________
Michael Smith
Hullabaloo: The official band of Texas A&M Basketball
Kanstul 1537/ Schilke 14
LA Olds Studio

Phil Rinaldi

bigaggietrumpet-

Thank you for you knowledge about manufacturing.
Like I had said previouslly...I only help with designs, marketing, and being an Artist Representative...and I couldn't quite remember what I was told about the valves
Your post did jog my memory a little and I believe what you said of Kanstul is what Mark's initial idea was.
Anyhow...I do love my valves.
I know that VCT does not plan on sending out the horns like this anymore.

__________________
Peace,

Phil Rinaldi

Trumpet Player in the New York City Area
Owner; Rinaldi Entertainment, L.L.C.
Artist Representative; Van Cleave Trumpets, L.L.C.