40cal

I had the good fortune of trying an Eclipse MR.

Those on the forum who know me know that I don't subscribe to a school of playing or a certain brand of horn. I also do not have a problem calling something a piece of junk if I think it is junk. I should mention that I have a BM in performance. I am by no means the best player or even a great player by any stretch of the imagination. I am now more of a comeback player/weekend warrior, but I am confident enough in my abilities to know when I am playing a good horn (end of disclaimer).

Bruce Lee hooked me up w/still trying, another member of the forum.

The fit/finish was great. Right up there w/any other fine horns I have had the pleasure of playing.

The sound color was rich and warm but not dull. The horn was free blowing w/minimal resistance. I should point out I was using a Monette B 1-2 for this portion of the test. The sound stayed consistent throughout the high/lows and loud/softs. Where the horn seemed to really shine was playing lyrical or ballad type music. The sound is just gorgeous.

I played some lead parts from some big band stuff on a Monette BL. If you work it right you can still get some zip on the sound, but not so much that the horn sounds strident. I don't know if the MR would be my first choice for lead playing, but it would definitely hold its own in the lead role.

The horn slotted well for me with both mouthpieces in all registers.

Intonation was fantastic throughout the range of the horn. (at least to my rusty ears).

I don't know jack about valves, but one of the technical aspects of the horn that I liked the most was how quick the valves were.

What I did notice is that the description on the eclipse website for the MR was right on the money. This gives me confidence that the other descriptions are just as accurate, which for me is a huge bonus due to my location relative to the eclipse dealers.

I owe a debt of gratitude to bruce lee for hooking me up w/still trying and a big thanks to still trying. He came out to my house on short notice and let me play his gem of a horn. Still trying is a true gentleman.

Would I purchase an eclipse? YES! With the type of music I play in ensembles right now coupled with the parts I play I don't know if the MR bell would be my first choice. Reading the eclipse site I think I would gravitate more towards the MY but the MR is a versatile horn that would fill in a principal or lead role without a problem.

If for some reason I was in a situation where I could only have 1 horn the MR would do just great.

I appreciate craftsmanship and the artistic ability of the person(s) who build fine products whether it is a high quality trumpet, or a custom firearm. Eclipse is certainly one of those fine products.

40