| What a pleasure it was to meet you Alan and your charming wife Sheila. I hope you had a safe journey back to Wales (it has been very wild and wooly lately in the UK) and that you are enjoying the new horn - what a beauty.
I just happened to be there yesterday showing the Eclipse range to one Toby Coles (1st trumpet in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Palladium). He was particularly taken with the C trumpets, in fact he was utterly amazed - but more of that at a later date.
I had a good chat with Alan and we found that we had something in common. Namely that we both started on cornet in a Salvation Army brass band. That is a heritage we share with Maurice Murphy, Derek Watkins, Henry Lowther, Paul Archibald, Ray Simmons to name but a few. In fact I heard a rumour that Phil Smith started playing this way too - does anybody know? Sounds like the basis for a new thread to me.
Oh sorry, whats that? You want to know about the horn? Well I'll leave the review of his horn to Alan but I will post some notes I made in answer to a private question. I had intended that they might be posted on the Eclipse website at some point - so heres a preview.
The special edition Eclipse has all the qualities shared by the entire range
of horns. Stunning intonation, great stability to the core of the note, very
accurate slotting, free blowing, great projection, even tone across the
range, quick response, wide spectrum of fimbres, great balance and feel in
the hands, matchless craftsmanship in its construction, the best valves in
the business, etc.....
The sound is rich, silky and vibrant (hard to describe sounds using words)
and above all the horn looks absolutely drop dead gorgeous. It adds a really classic twist, harking back to the golden age of trumpets, to the clean, modern and elegant lines of the standard Eclipse range.
The effect of the tone ring is basically to add more stability, warmth and
projection to the sound making the large special edition more of a classical
soloists horn - closer in timbre to the red bells but with some of the agile response of the yellow range.
Just my opinion - hope its of interest. Noel.
__________________ Noel Langley - Eclipse Artist noel@eclipsetrumpets.com
Eclipse Medium Yellow, scratch gold
Eclipse Medium Heavy Red, custom 'Diamond Back' in 24ct gold
Eclipse Red Brass Flugel
Custom Scherzer piccolo with copper Wedgewood bell, finished in scratch gold
Giardinelli 6S, 6M, 6FL Bach 3CW |