Heavens2kadonka

Why isn't there any Bach representatives around here to tell us whats going on with the new Strads?

All strads seem a little stuffy to me...

Van

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Stage 1 California Light
'94 Bach Strad 37
1900 Eb Cornet

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Benjamin

I think they are turning things around too. I bought one two weeks ago. Great horn. I couldn't believe how nice it was. Kudos to Conn-Selmer-Bach or whatever their name is now for getting their stuff together.

Ben

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Benjamin E. Browne
National Radio Symphony (SODRE) - Uruguay
Filarmonica de Montevideo
Escuela Universitaria de Música-Universidad de la Republica - Uruguay

Tootsall

"When did Bach go wrong?"

When Vincent sold the company. (or should I say "name"?)

JackD

Yawn...

I still think the (modern) Bach 37 is the best Bb I've ever encountered.

bandman

I have a different idea about this topic. I am a Bach fan, and I have owned many Bach horns over the years. I still play on the same Bach Strad I bought in 7th grade as my main Bb. I even bought another new one last year, but it was a (Jason Harrelson) modified Bach.

I think Bach went bad when they started putting the name Bach on beginner model trumpets. When they were using the names Bundy and Buscher on horns rather than Bach they were stating we will make a beginner model horn, but we will hold the name Bach for the best of the best.

Then King lowered the quality level of Bach's biggest beginner level rival, and then King and Conn merged and things "went south". Bach lowered the quality level of their beginner horns and got away with it, and then they lowered the level of the proline horns. They were still a step up from the beginner horns, but they just were not the level of the old Bach trumpets.

I think that the biggest problem I have seen with Bach was the fact that they did not answer the Yamaha challenge when Yamaha became a major player. Bach never raised the quality of their horns, but Yamaha did raise the quality of both the beginner and pro level Yamaha instruments. Now other manufacturers, while smaller than Bach, are surpassing Bach's quality.

So in closing, Bach changed their focus market. Now beginners make the most money for them, not high quality high-end horns. Will this change? Not unless the Bach Family chooses to do like the Getzens did and buy the company back and make an effort to go back to their quality control levels of the past.

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talcito

I was recently told that when Bach started making his horns no one wanted to buy them. The valves were very tight and once they started to heat up they would get stuck and have all sorts of problems. They could not even give the horns away at that time. Hmm, maybe thats when they started to go wrong!

Schwab

Bach just cut too many corners in the past few years. People will buy the horns anyway and the more they can slap together the better. They skimp on materials also, their silver plated std. weight horns don't have nickel in them anymore (outer slides).

They should just take a little more care putting the horns together and charge a little bit more money.

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Dylan Schwab
Stage 1 New York