JoeCJazz

Hi, I'm a high school trumpet player with aspirations for going pro. I have a Conn Vintage One sterling bell, but I am looking for a horn with a darker sound and priced in my range (not over $2200). I want to use it for both small combo jazz and concert band, any suggestions?

bandman

Have you looked into a Kanstul ZKT 1500? It has an all copper bell and it produces a big fat dark sound! I love it! I would say that it is the best horn of this type without going to an Eclipse with a Large Copper Bell. It's dark when you want dark, but it also has pop when called needed!

Heavens2kadonka

I love stuff like this...

But down to business.

I'm sure you have a pretty good idea to keep the Conn V1 for jazz, etc. However, if you want to take out some of that sterling edge in the V1 sound, and have a more versatile axe, the cheapest route is a heavy, open leadpipe modification. Less than $250 (Depending on the quality work and leadpipe brand you use), and BAM, you'll basically have what you need.

Now, another cheap-man route is to get a pre-1960 Olds Ambassador and soup it up. New leadpipe and overhauling the horn, with maybe a new plating job (24k gold bell for the intimate solo sound...), and some specialized heavy caps from Curry. Less than 800 dollars with the right guy (Not counting the gold, though). VERY good pro horn for around the price of a new intermediate. Also, its cool when someone asks you how much you payed for the horn, and answering the price was less than a grand!

ANOTHER cheap man route, and is something I am right now toying with, is FRANKENHORNING. If you have the patience to look around and keep looking, you can get some AMAZING deals of parts. If creating your own monster trumpet sounds cool to you, PM or email me, and I can really bore you with some details and what my current project is, blah blah blah...


NOW, for new horns.

PHAETON - I am about to start testing one tomorrow, so I will have a better idea about how this horn works. I just know this horn has a really good reputation as being a solid performer, and its price is between 1200-1600 dollars.

ZeuS - Again, I have not had the chance to try one of the ZueS's yet. Low price, but the product is high.

Kanstul - I own a 1503, and I love it. You can find them for a pretty good price, and they offer a darker sound even without heavy caps (I believe it has a lot to do with the heavy 3rd valve slide itself).

Van

Schwab

I think you shouldn't stray too far from the happy medium sound that you get with your Vintage 1. Those Conns are great versitile horns, many pros play them for a variety of settings. Nicholas Payton played one for quite a while (don't know if he still does), he seemed to get a pretty dark sound out of it.

You should probably wait until college to ask your prof. about horns, if you feel you need a darker sound for combo work, just try a deeper mouthpiece (i.e., if you play a 3C, try a 3B or 3), thats a much cheaper solution. The Vintage 1 is a good horn, I wouldn't give up on it.

JoeCJazz

Thanks alot for the help. What stcman said got me thinking, do I really need a new horn? I think that I'm going to overhaul my current horn and get it plated and get the valves aligned. I bought it used and it has lots of lacquer wear and the valves are giving me some problems. Do you guys know of a good shop that could provide me with these services (at a reasonable price )?

trickg

Color me crazy, but how about a Conn Vintage one, lacquered, with the red brass bell? A friend of mine once had one of those which was VERY nice and probably very close to what you are looking for in terms of sound.

It was dark, smooth, and surprisingly enough, it was ultra-responsive. A very nice horn. He ended up getting rid of it so that he could get a Lawler, but for the life of me I don't know why because if it had been mine, I would still own it.

Yeah Eric! I'm talking about YOU!

JoeCJazz

Oh, to be specific, I'm looking for a place where I could get a satin silver finish with gold trim and bell. I think that would look nifty and would last longer than the worn away lacquer that's on it now.

Tulsaband

Trickg, I agree, the Conn is a great playing horn. The 1BR seems to be the most popular horn in the Vintage One line for us.

You definitely should try out the Kanstul 1500 as well, also very smooth, warm sound!



Ceth Barnett
Tulsa Band Instruments
www.tulsaband.com

trickg

Ceth, I get the impression that he is looking to move away from the Conn and into a different horn altogether, but I have to tell you, in the last few years, that Conn V1 with the red brass bell (owned by Xenoman - he USED to own a Xeno) stands out in my mind as one of the best horns that I have played, and in that time I have played:

Conn
Vintage Conn
Bach
Schilke
Lawler
ZeuS
Benge
Vintage Benge
Wild Thing

Like I said, the response and centering on that horn was fast and dead on. He says that his Lawler is better. If it is, then that Lawler must be one helluva horn because that CV1 was excellent.

wiseone2

I had the pleasure of meeting Wynton before he was "Wynton" and Sergei when he was even a younger player. Wynton played the much hated Bach Strad. Sergei played a Getzen thing......I am not sure if it was a Doc horn or an Eterna. It was probably a Severinsen.
Nakariakov was about 15 at the time and he played like nothing I had heard from a kid that young. Oh......and his horn was not a very good one. Phil Ruecktenwald and I played it. The horn was only okay.
Wynton played a Vindabona 72 ML Bach. He played the Bach with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers.

Get a valve job. Get the horn plated. Get busy practicing. You are the ultimate upgrade
Wilmer