About $4200 new for this horn. Blackburn Bb trumpet price. $700 more than the price of an Eclipse, and around or a little below the price of the Monette 993, for comparisons sake.
First off, the pics dont show it very well. The bell is HUGE. 51/4 inches, if I am not mistaken (I dont have the handy-dandy ruler on-hand, but it looks like it, lol).
The tuning bell is really neat, though it isn't as cool as Eclipse. A bit more of a hassle to tune the bell, with a dial on the valve block and screw at the crook to work with.
The leadpipe finger ring is something I have to jump in and compliment on. Its the most comfortable piece of bent metal I've ever rested my pinky finger on!! Rounded completely, no edges.
VALVES.
The valves look a lot like B&S valves, with the felts on the bottom, and that look. I cringed, of course. I have never liked B&S valves....
After some work on them, my LORD, how smooth the action was!
That little "silky" sound when the valves go down, no metal clang. I *LOVE* that. There was no "reactive" feel to the valves, like Phaeton or other heavy-recessed cap horns. There was not that "sticky" feel like the rubber top caps, found on Strads or Kanstuls.
Felt-topped horns also tend to feel "cheap" to me when I work them, sluggish as heck, that little fuzzy feel when the valves make contact. NOT THESE. The valve action, in my most humble opinion, feels almost exactly like an Eclipse. *sigh*
Something else that I need to mention, the bottom caps, when you screw them on, CONTINUE to rotate clockwise. That is the absolute NEATEST little thing I've ever seen on a trumpet!
ABOUT SOUND. VERY THICK. This horn is by far the heaviest horn I've ever played. The sound is broad, present. I think it would be nigh impossible to out-blow this horn.
One thing I am noticing. I get winded VERY quickly on this horn. I was using my 5B piece, so I may start playing with my other pieces. I'll keep you guys posted.
**UPDATE**
I just looked it up. The bore is .470. This diffinitely proves I'm a doofus.
I can never get a great sound with a B cup on large bores. Adding all this extra weight means I may have to do some finaggling to find which piece works best.
Very impressive horn. I'll try and get some pics. Anyone open to host?
Van