TrumpetMaster - View Single Post - Custom Phaeton Review # 8, Richard Zeller...AKA...rjzeller

rjzeller · 09-13-2005, 12:46 PM

Picked it up from Greg yesterday and played it at a jazz rehearsal (lead) last night.

First day impressions:

Look: This horn looks beautiful. The brushed silver is quite attractive and the polished highlights make it stand out. One glance at this thing and it becomes clear that this is no off-the-shelf model. The heavy valve caps and heavy mouthpiece receiver are very nice. I do like the LOOK of the valves. I also like the rounded/elongated tuning crook.

Regarding Greg's comments, I must say that it looks just fine now. As for the comment about dings that come with a horn 2 years old, I think people might have read too much into that. My Renaissance is five years old now and has only a couple very, VERY small pings in the bell -- of the sort that you would not notice without a careful and thorough inspection of the horn.

That's kinda what the Phaeton had. Two, maybe three extreemly tiny pings that you have to feel more than see, and I think they only stand out because of the brushed finish -- they are shiny so they are easier to see. I've had brand new horns from the manufacturer show up in worse condition than this.

As for cleanliness -- it's perfect. Chalk that up to Greg's hard work cleaning the horn. Nice job Greg!

A final note about the finish -- I'm not sure if you'd want to look at other options -- I know it's gone through a lot of hands, but you can see some finish wear on the tubing just where it enters the valve block, and I think you would probably have to apply an extra-thick layer of silver. I'm not well versed on finishing techniques, but I can see this one wearing over (smoothing out) and possibly revealing the raw brass very easily. I must say, though, the look is just fantastic as it is right now.

Feel: I'm undecided here about whether I like the feel of this horn or not. It is definitely tighter than my Getzen large bore Renaissance, but not so tight that it's a bother. I will say this horn really takes off on you, and it'll take some time for me to settle into it. It is quite clear I cannot approach this thing the same way I do my Getzen. At least, not without drawing complaints from the trombone section.

The slotting is much better than my Getzen, and really holds its own in the upper registers. My high Fs and Gs were never so easy and strong, and it almost made me sad I can't keep this baby as a lead horn permanently.

However, I found it to be much less flexible than my Getzen, and over the course of the rehearsal the increased resistance began to wear just a bit. But to be fair, I had not played lead in several months, so I may just be out practice. I'll have a better feel for it next time.

It seemed a bit stuffy in the very low register, but again I think that has a lot to do with learning how to approach the horn. We'll see how it feels after a solid week of practices and gigs.

Sound: It really resonated last night, and sang beautifully. The trombone section gave me the "WOW" reaction several times last night. In a room that measures about 50'x100', I got some dandy echoes from the far wall. It definitely held the sound and resonated better than my Getzen, but could not quite give me the sizzle I expected. (It did come close, though).

In the middle registers and during more relaxed playing, the sound seemed more focused and round than my Getzen (hard to describe given the contradiction that's about to follow), but my Getzen still seemed darker and fuller to me. But this, I think, also requires more time on the horn to learn to approach it properly. I guess I'd say the Phaeton was warmer and more focused, while the Getzen sound was broader and bigger. If that makes sense.

Valves: I love the look, hate the feel. Now don't get me wrong here -- they are smooth, fast, and respond excellent. It's just that I prefer the lightning fast, buttery feel of my Getzen valves. The movement on my Getzen valves is completely effortless, whereas the Phaeton valves had a bit of a heavy feel to them. I hesitate to say sluggish, because they are not, but compared to the Getzen....

The look is great, and the recessed valve caps and short throw really do give them a good feel. If only they were lighter feeling....

All in all, though, I loved this horn. I'm trying to be as picky as I can because, well, isn't that kinda what this is for? I don't help anyone out if I just claim "great horn" and leave it at that.

I will say this much -- this is the first horn I've EVER played (no, I haven't tried the wild thing or monettes yet) that I actually like better than my current Getzen, and that's saying a lot. There are some hangups, but I think more time and familiarity with the horn will likely address many of these.

Z

09-13-2005, 12:46 PM	#1 (permalink)
rjzeller Forte User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Rochester, MN Posts: 1,212	Custom Phaeton Review # 8, Richard Zeller...AKA...rjzeller Picked it up from Greg yesterday and played it at a jazz rehearsal (lead) last night. First day impressions: Look: This horn looks beautiful. The brushed silver is quite attractive and the polished highlights make it stand out. One glance at this thing and it becomes clear that this is no off-the-shelf model. The heavy valve caps and heavy mouthpiece receiver are very nice. I do like the LOOK of the valves. I also like the rounded/elongated tuning crook. Regarding Greg's comments, I must say that it looks just fine now. As for the comment about dings that come with a horn 2 years old, I think people might have read too much into that. My Renaissance is five years old now and has only a couple very, VERY small pings in the bell -- of the sort that you would not notice without a careful and thorough inspection of the horn. That's kinda what the Phaeton had. Two, maybe three extreemly tiny pings that you have to feel more than see, and I think they only stand out because of the brushed finish -- they are shiny so they are easier to see. I've had brand new horns from the manufacturer show up in worse condition than this. As for cleanliness -- it's perfect. Chalk that up to Greg's hard work cleaning the horn. Nice job Greg! A final note about the finish -- I'm not sure if you'd want to look at other options -- I know it's gone through a lot of hands, but you can see some finish wear on the tubing just where it enters the valve block, and I think you would probably have to apply an extra-thick layer of silver. I'm not well versed on finishing techniques, but I can see this one wearing over (smoothing out) and possibly revealing the raw brass very easily. I must say, though, the look is just fantastic as it is right now. Feel: I'm undecided here about whether I like the feel of this horn or not. It is definitely tighter than my Getzen large bore Renaissance, but not so tight that it's a bother. I will say this horn really takes off on you, and it'll take some time for me to settle into it. It is quite clear I cannot approach this thing the same way I do my Getzen. At least, not without drawing complaints from the trombone section. The slotting is much better than my Getzen, and really holds its own in the upper registers. My high Fs and Gs were never so easy and strong, and it almost made me sad I can't keep this baby as a lead horn permanently. However, I found it to be much less flexible than my Getzen, and over the course of the rehearsal the increased resistance began to wear just a bit. But to be fair, I had not played lead in several months, so I may just be out practice. I'll have a better feel for it next time. It seemed a bit stuffy in the very low register, but again I think that has a lot to do with learning how to approach the horn. We'll see how it feels after a solid week of practices and gigs. Sound: It really resonated last night, and sang beautifully. The trombone section gave me the "WOW" reaction several times last night. In a room that measures about 50'x100', I got some dandy echoes from the far wall. It definitely held the sound and resonated better than my Getzen, but could not quite give me the sizzle I expected. (It did come close, though). In the middle registers and during more relaxed playing, the sound seemed more focused and round than my Getzen (hard to describe given the contradiction that's about to follow), but my Getzen still seemed darker and fuller to me. But this, I think, also requires more time on the horn to learn to approach it properly. I guess I'd say the Phaeton was warmer and more focused, while the Getzen sound was broader and bigger. If that makes sense. Valves: I love the look, hate the feel. Now don't get me wrong here -- they are smooth, fast, and respond excellent. It's just that I prefer the lightning fast, buttery feel of my Getzen valves. The movement on my Getzen valves is completely effortless, whereas the Phaeton valves had a bit of a heavy feel to them. I hesitate to say sluggish, because they are not, but compared to the Getzen.... The look is great, and the recessed valve caps and short throw really do give them a good feel. If only they were lighter feeling.... All in all, though, I loved this horn. I'm trying to be as picky as I can because, well, isn't that kinda what this is for? I don't help anyone out if I just claim "great horn" and leave it at that. I will say this much -- this is the first horn I've EVER played (no, I haven't tried the wild thing or monettes yet) that I actually like better than my current Getzen, and that's saying a lot. There are some hangups, but I think more time and familiarity with the horn will likely address many of these. Z __________________ There are 10 kinds of people in the world: Those who understand binary and those who do not.