eclipse trumpets

chuck · 08-30-2006, 11:31 PM

how would you characterize the eclipse trumpet sound? based on the chat here i am interested in playing one. i generally like dark horns.
haven't played in almost twenty years and right now i am just working on getting back some embochure development. got an olds LA ambassador cornet off ebay in rough shape, and am expecting an olds studio trumpet in a day or two.
sort of blown away by the equipment. the coolest stuff i was aware of in the '80s was schilke and monette. had one of dave's early horns which i sold for about double during a rough period of business woes and divorce. anyway life having chewed me up and spit me out i am ready to be an amateur jazz musician again. it's a very healthy thing to have fine instruments available from small outfits.

Solar Bell · 08-30-2006, 11:33 PM

WOW!

That post scared me!

I thought I did something I didn't know!

Anyway,

The Eclipse trumpets come in many bell configurations and can be as bright or as dark as you want. Give on of the dealers a call!

-cw-

bandman · 08-30-2006, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuck

how would you characterize the eclipse trumpet sound?

I played several Eclipse horns for just a couple minutes each when I visited with Bruce Lee. I also got to play his new Teatro.

I'll just say that each model plays different from one another (sounds obvious but they really were very different from one another). I have to say that they had the most centered core sound I have ever experienced on a Bb trumpet.

I would love to have one but with my current medical bills I just can't commit to the price of any nice new horn.

TrentAustin · 08-31-2006, 09:19 AM

Welcome to TM, Chuck!

In a nutshell I'd say that the Eclipse "sound" is really dependent on what model you choose. I have a bunch of sound clips on my new site (www.austincustombrass.com) that show the difference in tone between my two personal models. Which do I prefer? That's a tough one. Lately I've been playing my LR which produces an extremely wide, dark, round tone. It's an amazingly rich and beautiful sound. I never thought a conventional weighted horn could have that sound color and richness.

For me both horns play VERY close to each other. It's the bell material that changes really the way the sound projects and changes articulations(at least for me).

Check out the clips on my site if you'd like. I'm planning a trip out later this fall to do a lot more recording ;).

Regards,

Trent

Tootsall · 08-31-2006, 10:00 AM

In a way, Eclipse is kind of like Schilke... by that I mean that there are certain characteristics that they all have but the different models (bells) have (sometimes significantly) different playing, sound and "feel" to them.

Unless you go in knowing what kind of sound you prefer you really must try each of them to see what "turns your crank" the best.

The things that are common to all Eclipses (as with Schilke) are:
1) superlative fit and finish.... Leigh prides himself on this
2) excellent valves.... Bauerfeind valves are considered to be possibly the best ones available (a tad better than Schilke)
3) a nice "feel" or "heft" to them. These aren't lightweight horns, but they aren't "tanks" neither. They are well-balanced "fore and aft" and easy to hold for long periods of time.
4) the intonation is deadly accurate on all; a result of the uninterrupted leadpipe all the way to the 3rd valve casing and relocation of the tuning slide to the bell bow?
5) a relative degree of uniqueness... you won't find everyone else in your community band playing them! (although Leigh and the reputation he's established is sure working on this "problem")

Depending upon where you live there is a chance that an Eclipse owner lives relatively close by. Most of them are more than happy to let a person have a brief experience playing one to see if it's something they'd like to pursue further "down-the-road". Right now there are a couple of "demo days" scheduled in different parts of the country...likely the very best way to compare models.

bandman · 08-31-2006, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tootsall

2) excellent valves.... Bauerfeind valves are considered to be possibly the best ones available (a tad better than Schilke)

Actually I love the valves on the Eclipse, and I've never been a fan of Schilke valves. I love the way my P5-4 plays except for the feel of the valves.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tootsall

3) a nice "feel" or "heft" to them. These aren't lightweight horns, but they aren't "tanks" neither. They are well-balanced "fore and aft" and easy to hold for long periods of time.

This is a great point! The ergonomics of the Eclipse were so perfect that there is no way to describe it other than to say that "it just feels right!" I might be wrong, but I think this is because of Leigh not being a trumpet player. He was interested in the way the horn felt in his hands when he picked it up. As a non-trumpet player that was an obvious thing for him from the day he started making horns years ago. I'd play a tank if it played better than anything else, but it sure is nice to pick up a horn and the first thing you notice is that it feels right in your hands. After he had a horn that felt right he made it play like no other horn (that's my opinion but it's something I really believe).

chuck · 08-31-2006, 03:14 PM

next question would be where and when i could try one...i'll ask it in six months. right now my playing is rudimentary and i can squeak out a high C.
this is with an olds mouthpiece....stuck in the cornet...a 3, about comparable to a bach 7. my olds studio should be arriving today or tomorrow and some practice with that and a 3c mouthpiece should have me playing strong enough in time. i'm in new york btw.
i am blown away by your equipment talk after my long hiatus from playing. did dave monette demonstrate to everyone that there was a large enough market for high end high value equipment?

Skip · 08-31-2006, 03:42 PM

Chuck,

Trent & Bruce both have events coming up, & I'm sure that there are others too:

Trent's:
2006 Boston Trumpetfest, hosted by AustinCustomBrass!

Sunday, September 17
1-6PM
Melrose First Congregational Church
Melrose, MA

Schedule of events:

1PM Registration and warmup (many rooms available at the location for private warmups)

1:30 Opening welcome and concert (special guests TBA...I'm working on quite a few leads right now!)

2:15 Play testing begins

3PM Clinic: Trent Austin: The art of versatility...from Bach to Bebop

3:45-4 Break

4PM: Concert by Trent Austin jazz ensemble

4:45-5:15: One-on-One question and answer session with Trent: Time to talk shop

The 2006 Eclipse Trumpet fest will be held at the First Congregational Church in Melrose as it has in previous years. This location is well equipped with many different rooms with different acoustic environments which works well with equipment tryouts. The church is also accessible by car, MBTA bus, Commuter Rail, and MBTA subway. Plenty of parking is readily available as well as fantastic restaurants only a block away. Melrose is approximately 7 miles north of Boston. For directions to the church please go to http://www.fccmelrose.org.

The fee for this event (including admission for all the events and concerts) is $15. This will cover room rental fees and musician costs for our guests/accompanists. R.S.V.P by 9/1 and the charge will be $10. All students and seniors will pay $10. For more information please email me at info@austincustombrass.com.

Please stay tuned to this post as details come in I will change the schedule of events.

Let me know if you'll be attending via the TH posts as well.
I'll be looking forward to seeing you at this year's event!

Best,

T

Bruce's:
The Dallas/Fort Worth Trumpetfest will be held at TCU (Texas Christian University) on October 20th - 21st. Preliminary details can be found on the Northern Brass website: http://www.northernbrass.com/Calendar.html

See Y'all there!
Bruce

We are currently looking into hotel accommodations for our out of town guests who are planning on attending the DFW Trumpetfest. Once again, the days for the event are Friday, October 20th, and Saturday, October 21st.

Once we have an idea of how many rooms we'll need, we can negotiate a discount. A list of the available hotels will be posted on the Official DFW Trumpetfest Website as soon as we have completed our planning for the event.

Please post your response on this thread, or send me a PM, if you are interested. Thank you!

Cheers!
Bruce
_________________
Authorized Dealer for:
Eclipse Trumpets
The "Teatro" Trumpet
Northern Brass, GR Technologies, Marcinkiewicz - Mouthpieces

www.northernbrass.com
(281) 485-1919

Tootsall · 08-31-2006, 07:42 PM

It's a bit of a haul to either of these events from where you are located, but they certainly offer an opportunity to check out (almost) the entire range. Trent's is the closest to you, but Bruce is also a GR dealer.

TrentAustin · 08-31-2006, 08:44 PM

Felix is also in NYC! That might be the closest to you.

Best,

T

08-30-2006, 11:31 PM	#1 (permalink)
chuck New Friend Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: pawling ny Posts: 18	eclipse trumpets how would you characterize the eclipse trumpet sound? based on the chat here i am interested in playing one. i generally like dark horns. haven't played in almost twenty years and right now i am just working on getting back some embochure development. got an olds LA ambassador cornet off ebay in rough shape, and am expecting an olds studio trumpet in a day or two. sort of blown away by the equipment. the coolest stuff i was aware of in the '80s was schilke and monette. had one of dave's early horns which i sold for about double during a rough period of business woes and divorce. anyway life having chewed me up and spit me out i am ready to be an amateur jazz musician again. it's a very healthy thing to have fine instruments available from small outfits.

08-30-2006, 11:33 PM	#2 (permalink)
Solar Bell Moderator Fortissimo User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Metro Detroit Posts: 3,901	WOW! That post scared me! I thought I did something I didn't know! Anyway, The Eclipse trumpets come in many bell configurations and can be as bright or as dark as you want. Give on of the dealers a call! -cw- __________________ Chuck Willard *The Willard of Oz* "Don't be afraid to see what you see." Ronald Reagan Last edited by Solar Bell; 08-30-2006 at 11:37 PM.

08-31-2006, 09:19 AM	#4 (permalink)
TrentAustin Moderator Forte User Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,523	Welcome to TM, Chuck! In a nutshell I'd say that the Eclipse "sound" is really dependent on what model you choose. I have a bunch of sound clips on my new site (www.austincustombrass.com) that show the difference in tone between my two personal models. Which do I prefer? That's a tough one. Lately I've been playing my LR which produces an extremely wide, dark, round tone. It's an amazingly rich and beautiful sound. I never thought a conventional weighted horn could have that sound color and richness. For me both horns play VERY close to each other. It's the bell material that changes really the way the sound projects and changes articulations(at least for me). Check out the clips on my site if you'd like. I'm planning a trip out later this fall to do a lot more recording ;). Regards, Trent __________________ Trent Austin Taking a break to focus on my music... be back soon. If you want to chat PM me. http://www.trentaustin.com http://www.onlinejazzimprovisation.com

08-31-2006, 03:14 PM	#7 (permalink)
chuck New Friend Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: pawling ny Posts: 18	thanks for replies all next question would be where and when i could try one...i'll ask it in six months. right now my playing is rudimentary and i can squeak out a high C. this is with an olds mouthpiece....stuck in the cornet...a 3, about comparable to a bach 7. my olds studio should be arriving today or tomorrow and some practice with that and a 3c mouthpiece should have me playing strong enough in time. i'm in new york btw. i am blown away by your equipment talk after my long hiatus from playing. did dave monette demonstrate to everyone that there was a large enough market for high end high value equipment?

08-31-2006, 08:44 PM	#10 (permalink)
TrentAustin Moderator Forte User Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,523	Felix is also in NYC! That might be the closest to you. Best, T __________________ Trent Austin Taking a break to focus on my music... be back soon. If you want to chat PM me. http://www.trentaustin.com http://www.onlinejazzimprovisation.com

08-31-2006, 10:00 AM	#5 (permalink)
Tootsall Fortissimo User Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Yee HAW! Posts: 4,641	In a way, Eclipse is kind of like Schilke... by that I mean that there are certain characteristics that they all have but the different models (bells) have (sometimes significantly) different playing, sound and "feel" to them. Unless you go in knowing what kind of sound you prefer you really must try each of them to see what "turns your crank" the best. The things that are common to all Eclipses (as with Schilke) are: 1) superlative fit and finish.... Leigh prides himself on this 2) excellent valves.... Bauerfeind valves are considered to be possibly the best ones available (a tad better than Schilke) 3) a nice "feel" or "heft" to them. These aren't lightweight horns, but they aren't "tanks" neither. They are well-balanced "fore and aft" and easy to hold for long periods of time. 4) the intonation is deadly accurate on all; a result of the uninterrupted leadpipe all the way to the 3rd valve casing and relocation of the tuning slide to the bell bow? 5) a relative degree of uniqueness... you won't find everyone else in your community band playing them! (although Leigh and the reputation he's established is sure working on this "problem") Depending upon where you live there is a chance that an Eclipse owner lives relatively close by. Most of them are more than happy to let a person have a brief experience playing one to see if it's something they'd like to pursue further "down-the-road". Right now there are a couple of "demo days" scheduled in different parts of the country...likely the very best way to compare models.

08-31-2006, 03:42 PM	#8 (permalink)
Skip Pianissimo User Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Hawaii Posts: 242	Chuck, Trent & Bruce both have events coming up, & I'm sure that there are others too: Trent's: 2006 Boston Trumpetfest, hosted by AustinCustomBrass! Sunday, September 17 1-6PM Melrose First Congregational Church Melrose, MA Schedule of events: 1PM Registration and warmup (many rooms available at the location for private warmups) 1:30 Opening welcome and concert (special guests TBA...I'm working on quite a few leads right now!) 2:15 Play testing begins 3PM Clinic: Trent Austin: The art of versatility...from Bach to Bebop 3:45-4 Break 4PM: Concert by Trent Austin jazz ensemble 4:45-5:15: One-on-One question and answer session with Trent: Time to talk shop The 2006 Eclipse Trumpet fest will be held at the First Congregational Church in Melrose as it has in previous years. This location is well equipped with many different rooms with different acoustic environments which works well with equipment tryouts. The church is also accessible by car, MBTA bus, Commuter Rail, and MBTA subway. Plenty of parking is readily available as well as fantastic restaurants only a block away. Melrose is approximately 7 miles north of Boston. For directions to the church please go to http://www.fccmelrose.org. The fee for this event (including admission for all the events and concerts) is $15. This will cover room rental fees and musician costs for our guests/accompanists. R.S.V.P by 9/1 and the charge will be $10. All students and seniors will pay $10. For more information please email me at info@austincustombrass.com. Please stay tuned to this post as details come in I will change the schedule of events. Let me know if you'll be attending via the TH posts as well. I'll be looking forward to seeing you at this year's event! Best, T Bruce's: The Dallas/Fort Worth Trumpetfest will be held at TCU (Texas Christian University) on October 20th - 21st. Preliminary details can be found on the Northern Brass website: http://www.northernbrass.com/Calendar.html See Y'all there! Bruce We are currently looking into hotel accommodations for our out of town guests who are planning on attending the DFW Trumpetfest. Once again, the days for the event are Friday, October 20th, and Saturday, October 21st. Once we have an idea of how many rooms we'll need, we can negotiate a discount. A list of the available hotels will be posted on the Official DFW Trumpetfest Website as soon as we have completed our planning for the event. Please post your response on this thread, or send me a PM, if you are interested. Thank you! Cheers! Bruce _________________ Authorized Dealer for: Eclipse Trumpets The "Teatro" Trumpet Northern Brass, GR Technologies, Marcinkiewicz - Mouthpieces www.northernbrass.com (281) 485-1919

08-31-2006, 07:42 PM	#9 (permalink)
Tootsall Fortissimo User Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Yee HAW! Posts: 4,641	It's a bit of a haul to either of these events from where you are located, but they certainly offer an opportunity to check out (almost) the entire range. Trent's is the closest to you, but Bruce is also a GR dealer.

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