| Jesse,
Although weŽve spoken on the phone about this, IŽll share my thoughts with everyone.
The Medium Red is the bell which would best match your needs, in my opinion. The bell which you "describe" is the Large Red. Since I happen to know the horns (Olds Recording and French Besson Classic), and mouthpiece which you currently play, I would say that the Large Red would be "too much" horn for you, in terms of the energy that it takes to play it. The Medium Red would be just right, from that standpoint.
Now... I'll throw a monkey-wrench into the works, and tell you that while the G66*** works well for you on the French Besson, it may very well need to change, in order to match the feel that you prefer, in terms of providing the proper "balance" for you. Reasoning, below:
GR Tech: The match between the player, horn, and mouthpiece is very important. To set up the standing wave in the trumpet these must work as a system. The incorrect match can cause the player to manipulate to make a poor match work. The problems from over manipulation will usually show up in poor tone, poor accuracy, poor intonation, and poor efficiency.
GR's 3 Rules of Brass Playing
1. The lips must be supple and free to vibrate without unnatural impingement or manipulation, cushion is required.
2. You need a constant supply of uninterrupted airflow that is supported. The air column must be free from impingement and manipulation.
3. There must be a match between the player, horn, and mouthpiece. If one changes the others must be able to accommodate the change or be changed as well.
Conclusion: Medium Red sounds like the best choice, Jesse!
Best always,
Bruce
PS - Ed, the "pizza fingers" were Noel's, on Paul Nelson's White Lightning. Noel had played a gig at Pizza Express(?), and although he claims to use a fork to dine, we also know that he's just a trumpet player, and there just wasn't enough time between sets to wash up... thus, the pizza stains on the White Lightning. Fortunately, I was able to clean the horn up, prior to delivering it to Paul. (That's MY story, and I'm stickin' to it! 8) ) |