| I am the owner of a Lawler TLBC in silver plate. It is the .459 bore and looks exactly like the one on Roy's website.
After playing various Bachs and Yamahas for the last 20 years, and a Burbank Benge 5X for 15 years before, I can say this horn is above them all. The intonation, ease of response, and its cameleon-like personality allows me a versatility and range I did not know I had.
This horn can bark, soar, and sing in a sweet manner I never before experienced on a Bb. The blow is open and even and yet the slots are "right there". This horn does not need to be wrestled with and because of this, there is greater endurance. The Getzen valves are lightning quick and as good as my Bach's valves are, the Getzen valves are a substantial improvement.
In my old Bach, which is a good one, I was using Steve Haefner's outstanding 1HX series mouthpieces. With this horn, I did not need the extra "oomph" Steve's mouthpiece provide and I was able to downsize back to the GR e65 series I used before I went to Steve's slightly bigger models. After some conversation with GR and Brian, I decided to go with the e65 C* model and I can tell you that after 40 years of playing, I have never been better musically or technically.
Had I had the $$$, I would have investigated a lighter Monette. I believe that many of the Monette principles of playing are spot on. You must be relaxed and you must play down to the center of the pitch and I use that approach with this instrument with excellent results. Whether my Lawler/GR combo plays as well as a Monette would is a moot question. I am assured that what I have is outstanding and works well for me.
The Lawler is a top-notch horn and Roy is a pleasure to deal with. I would not hesitate to order another horn from Roy and in fact, despite the fact I have and outstanding Bach C (239/25A large bore in silver) , I may look into selling it and purchasing a Model T C trumpet.
Not all horns match everyone and I am not terribly concerned with who plays what, but Lawlers are truly excellent trumpets.
Rich Tomasek |