Steve Trigg

Hi all, it's good to now be on board and be able to talk to you all!
I am looking to buy a new horn and was going to investigate the Arturo Sandoval signature Bb by LeBlanc. Does anybody out there have any feedback on this horn?
Hope someone can help or perhaps suggest an appropriate alternative.
Cheers

Walter

Hi Steve

Welcome to TM...it is a great Forum with many people who have tons of experience ....some have none and speak loudly so weigh carefully. If you could give a little background...ie experience, type of music you play, budget, current horn...what you hope your new horn will give you etc.....then it will be easier to give advise. Of course at the end of the day it will be down to you in finding the horn that suits you best.


Walter

Richard Oliver

Welcome Steve to TM. Hope you enjoy the boards, and sorry I've no intel on the Le Blanc.

Steve Trigg

Thanks Walter
I have been playing for about nearly forty years! The last 25 years have been pro or semi-pro. Most of my work is in the pop/rock industry, either live as part of a 3/4 piece horn section or studio work so I need a horn that is light enough to run around on stage with, blends well as part of the section in the middle register but has a strong top end that cuts through (and over stupidly loud guitars as usual!). I currently play a DEG Getzen signature which is a lightweight model with no modifications but this is now over 20 years old and showing signs of its age (like its owner). I've enjoyed this horn; but have always felt that the tuning is a little suspect on specific notes (C# above the stave is especially bad, of course it could just be me!). As far as budget is concerned I'm looking at about £1,500.00 - dont know what that is in dollars at the moment.
I have had a brief blow on the LeBlanc and liked it at the time but can't find anybody else who owns one - apparently it is not a massive seller?
Cheers
Steve

TotalEclipse

There is one in the classifieds at the moment........its been there a while tho.
Never played one myself.
http://www.trumpetmaster.com/classif...duct=417&cat=2
There was an Eclipse MR that was on ebay being sold by taylor trumpets with a buy it now of about 1500 quid. It didn't reach reserve.
eBay.co.uk: Eclipse Gold Plated MR Bb trumpet traded at Taylor (item 110142481954 end time 01-Jul-07 19:27:18 BST)

tom turner

Hi Steve,

Welcome! Arturo hadn't been playing his signature LeBlanc much on gigs, reverting back to his Schilke lately.

A couple of weeks ago, while playing a gig in San Diego, he was turned on to Flip Oakes' Wild Thing and Celebration trumpets by Nate Mills, a San Diego jazz trumpeter who is friends with Arturo.

He was so knocked out with the Wild Thing that he wanted to drive up and meet Flip at his home in Oceanside! Here's a photo from that meeting:



To make a long story short, once he met with Flip, he decided to buy his own on the spot! There's a report on another trumpet forum right now about a gig a few days later with Arturo playing the Wild Thing.

Here's a link to Flip's announcement thread on this forum, where you can read all about it.

http://www.trumpetmaster.com/vb/f139...nce-35620.html (Flip Oakes is Proud to Announce…)

It's really a remarkable thing when a big name trumpeter with a horn developed for him, switches instruments without some sort of deal. Flip is a one-man operation producing and selling only about one horn per week, so the horn was purchased by Arturo on its own merit.

So, as an "appropriate alternative," as you mentioned, I'd recommend the horn Arturo selected recently, Flip Oakes' Wild Thing.

I've played one for six years and it still amazes me each time I play it . . . just as it did Arturo!

Also, in the thread I posted above on this site, check out Flip's last entry. It provides a new link that lets you actually see Arturo's reaction when he played the Wild Thing, playing up to the F above Triple C and then saying, "This horn is MINE . . . !

Hope this helps,

Tom Turner

loudog

I think the Sandoval LeBlanc is just a copy of the Schilke B6 (or is it a B3)...anyway, for the money, I think the Schilke would be a better horn overall, intonation and soundwise.

Good luck, and welcome!

__________________
Louie Eckhardt, MM
Freelance Trumpeter
Performance and Instruction
http://www.LouieEckhardt.com

Walter

Hi Steve

A lacquer Wild Thing Bb in the UK is about £1400.00 plus ....taxes and shipping at cost....UK contact is at ....Flip Oakes Euro Store

Erik Veldkamp, Bob and Chuck Findlay all play Hub Van Laar trumpets.....you could get a Silver Plated custom built for you and your playing style for around £1400.00 all in! The wait is about 15 weeks but it could be worth it ..they have the wonderful Bauerfiend valve block....Hub van Laar

Hey Tom...If Arturo can play F above triple C without a mouthpiece (see photo) imagine what he could play with one!....it looks like Flip will have to redecorate....the paint has peeled!

Walter

Vulgano Brother

Welcome to TM, Steve! Those old Signatures had a fine blow (and the two that I had, nasty valves) that Tony Scodwell had a part in designing--you might want to try out a Scodwell--great horns and the valves are way better than the old DEG's!

__________________
www.letsbuildhope.org

gglassmeyer

I tested one in 2000 and found it to be a nice horn. Very responsive and I think they're large bore .462 (can't remember for sure). I also don't recall it being heavy either.
The big problem to me was that they were priced higher than the comparable Yamahas and maybe even Bachs. It didn't out perform either in my opinion so to me it should have been priced lower since they were trying to re-introduce the Lablanc name to the brass world. If you can find a good deal on one, it may suit your needs.
It does have pinky and first valve slide rings instead of hook/saddle if that makes a difference to you. Some folks can't stand the rings.

__________________
Greg Glassmeyer