Thanks guys...I have some unexpected first impressions! Without question the Recording and the Taylor are a very exciting mix for me. I can't put my finger on it yet but although they are very different in many ways there is something uncanny about the way they compliment each other. When I switched from one to the other for about an hour tonight I found that my playing improved on each horn. I seemed to have an enhanced appreciation of both horns...my Taylor felt better than ever and the Recording was just a delight to play.
The Recording without question is female in comparison to the Taylor... a definate male....husky dark voice with lots of power and more chunky features. The Recording is beautiful and elegant in comparison...yes ...strong and dark in the lower register but bright and agile in the upper register with an amazing clarity of sound.(Just to make sure I was not mis-reading the clarity against the Taylor I did a quick check with my Bach....woofy socks come to mind here..lol ..I always thought my Bach was clear! ) The Recording is on the heavier side so the feel and difference weight-wise is not great...the valves are very free and easy with a slightly longer throw but not so much as to cause problems. I found the resistance abit stronger on the Recording but could adjust quickly as both are pretty free blowing...also the slot positions seemed in a similar position on each horn. There are sound similarities ...of course.......the B2,the Red Brass bell and my playing need to be taken into account.
I am not an expert and never expected to be writing this stuff....I bought the Recording to add to my small collection of lovely horns...to play from time to time.....the match between the Recording and Taylor is so good that I will probably take both horns on some gigs to see if this all works out in practise. It should give me a much wider range of sound....time will show how well this will work but at the moment I have been totally surprised by how much I enjoyed swapping the horns back and forth. In the past swapping horns only worked when it was between the flugel and my main horn.
Richard ...where the Selmer Balanced fits in I am not sure... it is certainly a great great horn but I know that I will always play it on its own....it is unique.
Rowuk ...you seem to be prophetic! The wedding night seems to be for the Taylor and the Recording!
Walter