uatrmpt

I had the opportunity to play a Zeus trumpet the other day in Symphonic Band rehearsal and just wanted to add my experiences to the tons of other ones.

The horn was the Bach-copy (the G?) in brushed lacquer with the .470 tuning slide and a set of heavy valve caps. I was playing on a GR G66***

The first thing I immediately noticed about the playing was that it took more air in the lower register than I am used to (I play a 1999 model Bach ML 37) but the horn tightened up when I ascended above High C. I couldn't get the horn to sound above high F (although the blame may not lie totally on the horn). The F is an easy note to play on my Bach and while I feel my Bach is stuffy in the upper register, it was more open than then Zeus. I think the .470 tuning slide may have contributed to the fact that I constantly felt winded while playing this horn. I wasn't able to complete phrases I normally would. The valves caps made the horn seem unneccesarily heavy and the horn seemed bell heavy as it was.

I also had some tuning issues with the horn. I was never able to quite get the horn to lock in on the pitch and had some trouble blending with the guy on the left, playing a late LA Benge, and the guy on the right, playing a rather bright, vibrato-laden Bach. The ensemble was also very loud. I'd have liked to have had some time in a practice room with the horn and a tuner, but that didn't happen.

Valves. Excellent, as Kanstul valves usually are.

Fit and Finish. This is the one area I had some major problems with the horn. I've seen people rave about the finish on Kanstul horns and the Zeus's, but this one didn't quite live up to the billing. Granted, the problems were small, but a new horn should be flawless, $950 or $5000. There were burn marks in the lacquer where various things had been soldered on, such as the spit valve assemblies and braces. I also noticed some places where the solder had not been covered by the lacquer.

There were two more issues with the horn construction I had. One, the third slide ring was two small. I prefer to insert my ring finger all the way into the ring so that I can have all fingers on top of the third slide. My knuckle kept getting caught on the ring. I don't have this problem on my Bach. I also thought that the fact the tuning slide was cut even on both the top and bottom made it more difficult to insert the tunining slide when I took it out. Making the bottom leg of the slide a bit longer so it is inserted first would help this.

One additional point, I pulled out the main tuning slide and noticed something right on the inside of the slide that looked like instant mashed potatoes. I then looked down the leadpipe and found it was absolutely gunked up. This horn was only a week old and should not have been in that condition. It looks like it had been through a marching season of nachos and coke being blown into it every week.

All that being said, would I buy a Zeus? Nah, because I'm not looking for another Bach (or copy, as the case may be). If the finish issues were cleared up and the mysterious gunk in the leadpipe disappears, would I reccommend them to my future high students? If Zeus is still around and there's a local dealer, probably. Would I recommend them to a student who wanted something better than a student horn but whose music career won't extend past college marching band? Definitely, as I think the Zeus has fulfilled its purpose -- a low cost, pro quality horn. Would I recommend it to a future music major? Probably not. Some teachers can be very political when it comes to horns (just ask the kid on TH that went to Hartt and sold his Smith-Watkins for a Bach). Perhaps my view on this will be altered by future acceptance by teachers, professionals, and the resale market.

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--Matt--