a marching trumpet

I will say I only know that the older olds were good, in my view. the older bachs were good also, but the 90's-2000's were suckish, the new "true bachs" are supposed to be great. anyways I had a 1976 mint strad bought for me after my 8th grade year I loved it, never took it onto the practice field unless it was contest day. It took forever to get used to it, like rowuk said its not very good to still learn on, it had a bigger tube than my student line olds and it was a pain to blow through but its sloting is so different from my other friends horns I can bend pitches all over the place, if I try it o my friends horn ill frac random notes. But it took a bit more air to blow through so I could get louder than the otehrs before I sounded like I was blaring and I had a deeper darker tone than the others, I loved it and still do and will either take it to my grave, but then no one can see the pretty thing, so idk I may leave it to a trumpet player...

rowuk

Peter,
yes, I read the thread owners post and stated that the Bach is not a good beginners trumpet. That leaves the Olds and Getzen.

I also said that the Bach is not the key for any type of playing except when you want to get a job in a major American orchestra. I consider the "blend" issue to be a lie. The difference in players is far greater than that of the metal.

There has always been the consistency issue with Bach instruments, making it a bad horn for a blind purchase. An additional issue with Bach instruments: red rot. The leadpipe and tuning slide are very prone to this. The quality of the laquer and silver plate are also not "exemplary", although the seasoned player considers the "worn" look to be proof that they have payed their dues.

All in all, the experienced player needs to play Bach instruments before they pay. The inexperienced player without outside help should look elsewhere.

I have refrained from mentioning other brands like Yamaha, King and Conn that also represent good values in the "used" market.

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

edfitzvb

Okay, Let me weigh in here. You say that you intend to play trumpet in classical venues and want a sound that will suit. I play an Olds Super from 1954. It is a great horn, but the bell is from a Bach 43, and the mouthpiece brightens it up so that it is a lead horn. Whenever I play legit stuff I use a Bach Strad or an old Rudy Muck Blessing Super Artist Duo Bore horn (Don't you just hate playing p level and seeing the conductor's palm?) An Olds trumpet CAN blend, but a Bach is closer to the desired sound from the get-go IMHO, and will probably have a higher resale value. I have yet to encounter a prejudice against Bach, although I have seen it against other makes. For years I had a prejudice against Olds trumpets. It took me playing one to come around. You will pay more for a Bach Strad (I also recommend the 37 Bell) but if you decide that the trumpet is not for you, you will get a better resale price for it than an Olds. If you can find one, look for an earlier one (early 70's or before) as the quality control was excellent then and there have been some concerns recently. As others have said, what comes out is determined by what goes in. Enjoy the journey. Good luck!

Ed
1954 Olds Super w?Bach 43 Bell
Rudy Muck Duo Bore Blessing Super Artist clone
LA Olds Cpecial cornet
Getzen Eterna Flugelhorn
LOTS of others in my past... keep checking, the list changes....

Hindsight is ALWAYS 20/20 (me)

Bachstul

Absolutely, this goes for bucket mutes, and cup mutes as well. Just witness who plays together with whatever brand equipment they feel like using and "blending fine" next time you watch the musicians at Lincoln. There is no "match" down the row.

Colonel Locke

Thanks to everyone for all of the input.

My uncle (a player for over 30 years) and I took a trip to Dillon's after I decided it wasn't worth it to buy blind. I played around on a bunch of used horns, and finally found a Bach Strad in almost mint condition that plays like a dream. Definitely better than buying off the internet!

I can't wait to start playing again; I'm sure I won't be a stranger on these forums once I get back into the grove of things.