TheMoose

Well, these were all good replys. I don't guess it really matters at this time.

Zachary Music

Mr. Oakes did not play or touch the new ZeuS trumpet.
What he did do is see a page with about 40 high-resolution pictures and with a complete list of specifications on my website. This page was up on my site for close to a week and the link was disclosed to only ZeuS dealers and a select number of customers. Most ZeuS dealers are TH and TM members and will confirm this. My intention was to provide all the ZeuS dealers with an advance showing of the prototype trumpet yet under strict confidentiality which they were fully aware and respectful of. I have full confidence that none of the ZeuS dealers gave out the link to this page but my mistake was to also provide the link to some current and possibly future customers, some of which happen to be or were in the past WT owners. To my regret someone did not respect my strong wishes and the link to this page was leaked. The page is no longer up but will be uploaded again when the trumpet is ready for market.

Anyone with business experience would know that there is absolutely no manufacturer who would disclose a proprietary prototype to another retailer. This is absolutely absurd to even imagine.

I am shocked that Mr. Oakes would use this method and go to this level to try to denigrate my product even before it is put to market and at a time I am not able to respond on the TH. This is testament to his tenacity and business ambition, which I do respect on some level and I do believe he has a fine product. I know he designs and believes in his instruments with the same passion as I do and I can’t fault him for that. I understand his important concern, motivation and the reasoning behind his actions, although I would not have done what he did. I do want to assure him that I have no intention to hurt his business and his name did not even enter my mind when designing this new trumpet. This is why his actions are somewhat of a shock to me. I will not be making any comments about his product or publicly giving a false description of it as he has of mine.

It is no secret that I strongly believe that the quality and the performance of a horn have nothing to do with its final retail price. Price is simply a marketing tool that many in the industry have used very effectively. I have no desire to do that and have taken a different approach since the beginning. Again, I do things my own way and will not fault anyone if they chose to market their products differently. People should understand by now that I have the financial resources to create any trumpet at any price. Therefore, I don’t market anything that is second best regardless of what its selling price may be. I am guilty of making fine instruments affordable for everyone and this is something that I am very proud of and is central to everything I do in business.

Alex


Will someone please post this message on the thread in question on the TH, I am not able to do so.
Thanks

Thevor

gzent in this thread we agree and thanks for clarifying my point.

Toots what I understand you saying is that since Alex has a less than reputable character therefore what anyone does to Alex is fair. He in a sense has pre-disqualified himself.

In chat last night the anaolgy was made about a good neighbor and bad one.

The bad neighbor has a dog and everytime it craps he throws it into the good neighbors yard. Is it right then for the good neighbor to start throwing his own dogs crap back into the bad neighbors yard?

It's obvious that Alex is going to continue his schtick of the "bad-boy" on TM. If he gets hammered for it, he deserves it. But that does not justify the unethical actions of someone on TH just because that person has to put up with the bad neighbor.

With that said, I'm even more confused because Bugleboy posted a review of the JupitueR on TH. I thought this thing was suppose to be top secret?

Thevor

Anonymous

TM

Uncle Albert

GOOD DOWRY EH ZACH?

TheMoose

Ya don't need a dowry Unc, just a credit card.

Larry Gianni

Hi all,

To answer a question a couple posts ago, anyone can be a moderator on this site if you send TM a money order for $ 26.43 a month ( if you use Paypal he makes you add 3% , no personel checks please) and help him clip coupons out of the Sunday paper to help with the finance server costs.

Second , my trumpet point in a nutshell is , whatever Kanstul puts out either for Kanstul or anyone else is of the same quality " Very, Very High "- they play no favorites. Whether it's a piccolo trpt or a Double Bb tuba, it's impecable. Enough said

Third , I once had the opportunity to play a super secret proto-type of the " Conn Director " ( I bribed the second assistant to the head assitant in charge of spit valve cork installations who happended to be the owner's sons third cousin) and immediatly went out to spread the word of the demise of the " Bundy " . Boy, did I learned a big lesson that day.

Fourth, after Alex's post , I finnally understand why he creates the mania for " beating-up " on him.

And on a personal note , trumpetmaster , I know I'm a little in the rears on my monthly stipend, but Christmas is coming and I know someone is usually desprite enough to hire me then and plus I just bought a great piccolo trumpet from India off e-bay that will really be a plus to my portfolio ,so please be patient about the $ .43 I owe you

Larry Gianni

trickg

I thought I would toss a couple of comments out there in regards to Kanstul horns and the Super ZueS.

Someone mentioned that you can't really review a prototype. When I was with the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, we contacted Kanstul in the hopes of finding someone that could make some custom bugles for us, something that looked like a small bugle, yet had a thumb valve so that you couldn't really see it from the side, yet you would still have some additional musical flexibility. Kanstul sent us out two prototypes, a one valved model, and a two valved model. They were both excellent and played every bit as good as the production models that were eventually made for us when he won the contract.

In regards to Kanstul instruments, I own a Custom Class flugel with a copper bell, and it is an excellent flugelhorn. I have yet to play a horn made by Kanstul that wasn't an excellent horn, to include a friend's Chicago Series Bb produced in the mid 90s, and a Besson pic ("Valves made by Kanstul" stamped on the valve block) that I owned for a while.

Granted, Flip may have played the prototype and not cared for it, but it most likely is a fine horn anyway, and just because Flip doesn't necessarily like it that well, doesn't mean that the majority of us aren't going to just love it. Personally, I can't wait to try one out.

Reverend

I can confirm that Alex did post a link on his website to several pictures of this new trumpet - I saw them! If any of you have visited the Zachary Music website, you know that Alex is very good about taking VERY detailed pictures of his instruments! Same thing here! Alex took VERY detailed photos of this new trumpet, from which any reader could have easily read the trumpet's serial number.

This page on Alex's website also listed all the specs on the new trumpet - so that information would have been readily available as well, to all who saw it! Unfortunately, when I wanted to get my second look at this beautiful instrument (probably a week later), the "link" was already inactive.

Regardless of what is stated about this trumpet, I can't wait to try it out!

Blessings,

Larry Gianni

Trickg,

That was an excellent post.

No theory, speculation or conjecture on Kanstul Products or their Business Mindset. Just a real testimonial from a customer , the best advertisement you can have.

Also, I realize in my zeal to try to articulate how I believe Kanstul has done a fantastic job in a very hard market that , it goes without saying ,now and again a " problem child " slips thru quality control and the normal course of checks and balances and comes to market.

My point was it seems Kanstul has a very low percentage of " warranty issues " which are produced by Kanstul weither in his line or for others.

I also should really apologize to Alex for some previous comments.

I've neither have met him or delt with him personally and to " sucker punch " him publicly was really not called for. I actually applaud anyone with the tenacity to bring new trumpets lines to market laying it all out on the line. Like Alex, Dick Akright , Don Miles , Tony Scodwell , Collins , Lawler and of course Jerry Callet.

I remember all the " flac " Jerry Callet got when he intoduced his line
in the 80's which were made primarily by Don Getzen. With a passion for his trumpets , he held on and now has something really special. It takes guts.

It was a mistake on my part to take a pot shot at Alex and probably didn't come off as amusing as I had hoped. He's a business man bringing a product to market and has every right to speak on it's development and public perception with as much bravura as possible.

The free market will eventually choose.

I left out " Scodwell " trumpets off my first list of Kanstul produced products. Tony Scodwell only produces about 50 trumpets a year, but " WOW " what a 50 they are.

He now has a new flugelhorn out that is fantastic. Great sound, easy to play and get this - it tunes with a moveable tuning slide built into the first bow past the valve section.

Larry Gianni

" the more I practice , the luckier I get " - Lee Travino