Initial Review: Stage 1 Cali Custom

beartrumpet74 · 02-25-2007, 01:11 AM

Hello everyone -
As many of you know Felix has been building me a new horn, and today I received it in the mail. Although this horn and its design is still in the beggining stages, I will try to be as thourough and even handed in my review as possible. Please excuse any horrible spelling as well, because it's not my strong suit.

Here goes -
Tonight I played with David Fathead Newman and a big band. I played the horn in a section containing 2 bach 37's and a bach vindabona 65g bell just like my old baby I still keep close by.
I have the copper bell that Felix is offering now with a gold brass leadpipe and tuning slide in standard configuration not reverse. The horn had absolutely NO problems blending with the all Bach section whatsoever! That being said, I'll give my initial impressions under categories here and then update as the week progresses.

SOUND -
The sound this horn produces is simply one of a kind. end of discussion!
It is the darkest sound I have ever heard a trumpet make while still retaining some edge when needed. It contains rich and full overtones in all registers, and contains no "dead" spots as I refer to them, meaning that the sound of the horn flattens out and loses a full set of overtones. Please don't bash this next sentence...it's an opinion. What I'm trying to say is that this horn will not sound dead and lifeless in the upper register like some REALLY expensive horns I used to own.
The best way I can describe the sound of this horn is as follows

The sound is Sturdy and firm like a Bach, but pliable like a great Martin Committee. This horn has a near vintage sound to my ears yet it feels strong and secure to play like many a Bach I have owned. The slots are very close together on my horn as designed to be that way by Felix. This helps me get around the pentatonic side slipping I love to do so much when soloing, and it makes runs in fourths seem like were designed to be played by a trumpet (a most unusual feeling for me at least!)
Tonight I played a unison line with another trumpeter in the section that hung around on A atop the staff for nearly 40 bars! This horn seemed to play it effortlessly, and let me tell you I am NOT an effortless player by any stretch of the imagination.

RESPONSE - As I stated above...this horn just speaks, and speaks easy. The notes seem to just float out of the bell especially when you back off and let it do the work for you. At times I overblew the horn, which killed the response and intonation, but when I just relaxed and played, this thing just spoke so easy and it took nearly ...I would say maybe a 1/10th of the effort I normally use. I was literally so shocked I thought maybe I was having one of those nights when you can do no wrong on the horn. I assure you after the gigs I have had this week that that was NOT the case. It was the horn not me! Articulations are crisp and clear on this horn and the sound just seems to carry forever...

Intonation - When I just layed back and let the horn play itself, this thing was amazingly in tune. It is just in tune with itself in a way I can't ever remember a horn being before. It is in tune as my Monette 933 and my Bach Vindabona which are the two best horns I have ever had with regard to intonation. BUT BEWARE... If you over blow this horn it will bite you back by riding high on the pitch. This is due to my unfamiliarity with the horn at this point and not due to the horn itself.

Fit and Finish - LOL! I hate this term!!!!! I always cringe when I see someone write it because it sounds so lame...like a some bolt in a machine... LAME... needless to say... the quality of this thing is second to none and at least equals the finish of my Monette. The valves are by far the best I have ever had period! and they aren't even broken in yet!

Overall impressions -

Well what I can say here is most important because it goes to what I think we all want in a horn.
to my ears this baby sounds like a vintage jazz horn like the martin only with the stable core of a bach. This core I am talking about is almost more of a FEEL than an actual SOUND. This horn can bend pitches like the old martins and shade the color like no other horn I have played other than a martin. It will half valve like a Monette which is no small feat as to my experience those horns just sing when you do that ala Terence Blanchard...

This horn will NOT sound like all the other horns you have played, and I suspect it isn't designed to, yet it WILL blend without problem.
This horn ACTUALLY has character and won't sound the same for all players. My teacher Ansyn Banks played it and it screamed for him...I picked it up and it whispered with low hushed tones for me. My drummer pal Jason Tiemann (u of L faculty ) was sitting amazed at the difference in sound from player to player! I was more than able to make it scream as well!!!

In the final analysis I think you can make this horn sound however you want, and I mean that beyond the normal difference in sound between different players. It will just do whatever you ask of it, simply by thinking or hearing what you want. I know that sounds absurd but I am deadly serious here. This thing just IS whatever you want it to be, and with all the configurations you could develop on this basic horn with Felix, you could really just make whatever your heart desires with this bell and valve section.

Mine sounds like this to my ears ... Like the sound you would get if a Martin, Monette and Bach had a baby...This is what would come out... Silly I know, but I'm so struck by this horn that I can't think of a more reasonable way to put it. It won't poop out up top like a Monette, It won't fight you up top like a Bach, and you CAN change the sound like an old Martin. AND the slots are close enough together so lines with large leaps feel easy!

anyway I will post some sound clips when I can blow it a little better. That may be tomorrow, but I am thinking later in the week...

I'm in shock and awe at this point. My Stage 1 California Custom is simply amazing and allowed me to just play the music in my heart, without having to think of how to make it come out physically.

Anyway, I guess I'm in love.....
Oh well back to our regularly scheduled arguements about which 70 year old horn is better than the other, and whether or not you should or shouldn't do whatever it is you are trying to do....

Peace
Matt Lawson
Stage 1 Artist - New York Trumpet Company

ALLCHOPS · 02-25-2007, 02:04 AM

Whoa!

Just got home and that's a lot to take in!

I'll check back in the morning after I digest my bowl of Mini Wheats..

Out,

TG

Schwab · 02-25-2007, 02:24 AM

Hey man, I went to school with Ansyn, tell him I say hey next time you see him. Sounds like the horn doesn't suck!

beartrumpet74 · 02-25-2007, 03:22 AM

I'll let Ansyn know you said hi!
And this horn is anything but sucky LOL!!!
It rules
Peace
Matt

DubbaCTrumpetMSU · 02-25-2007, 10:29 AM

Very impressive, Matt! That was a lot of what I felt when I played ALL of his horns...they just make everything easier! I love this Model A he's letting me use right now, but I can't wait to get my California! It seems that intonation on all of his horns is just amazing. I'm definitely getting anxious now...only about a month-a month and a half to go till mine comes in. Glad you love your new horn!

Russ

miles71 · 02-25-2007, 11:57 AM

Great review, I am excited to recieve mine. Look forward to the clips and give us some pics too.

DubbaCTrumpetMSU · 02-25-2007, 02:28 PM

Miles, he's posted some pics on an earlier thread of the horn in it's raw form, though I can't remember what the title is. It's a nice horn!!! Definitely makes me want to get mine really quick. Matt, thanks for the very in-depth review.

NYTC · 02-25-2007, 09:28 PM

Matt,
Thank you very much for a great review.
I have to say that this is an amazing compliment to me,coming from you.
I would also like to say that this would not have been possible if it wasn't for Garry Stoner.
It is all him. I had very little to do with this horn.:)

beartrumpet74 · 02-25-2007, 10:13 PM

YEAH ... BRAVO TO GARY !!!
he emailed me tonight and I am just amazed by his work on the horn.
Gary is amazing ... where did he come from and what has he been doing all this time. This is the first I had heard his name. Seems like someone this talented should be more well known...
Peace
Matt

NYTC · 02-25-2007, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beartrumpet74

YEAH ... BRAVO TO GARY !!!
he emailed me tonight and I am just amazed by his work on the horn.
Gary is amazing ... where did he come from and what has he been doing all this time. This is the first I had heard his name. Seems like someone this talented should be more well known...
Peace
Matt

He is a well kept secret,and I would like to keep it that way.:)
He wil be known better soon enough.:)
Garry also does any custom work on other horns.
I can't say enough great things about him.

02-25-2007, 01:11 AM	#1 (permalink)
beartrumpet74 Pianissimo User Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 198	Initial Review: Stage 1 Cali Custom Hello everyone - As many of you know Felix has been building me a new horn, and today I received it in the mail. Although this horn and its design is still in the beggining stages, I will try to be as thourough and even handed in my review as possible. Please excuse any horrible spelling as well, because it's not my strong suit. Here goes - Tonight I played with David Fathead Newman and a big band. I played the horn in a section containing 2 bach 37's and a bach vindabona 65g bell just like my old baby I still keep close by. I have the copper bell that Felix is offering now with a gold brass leadpipe and tuning slide in standard configuration not reverse. The horn had absolutely NO problems blending with the all Bach section whatsoever! That being said, I'll give my initial impressions under categories here and then update as the week progresses. SOUND - The sound this horn produces is simply one of a kind. end of discussion! It is the darkest sound I have ever heard a trumpet make while still retaining some edge when needed. It contains rich and full overtones in all registers, and contains no "dead" spots as I refer to them, meaning that the sound of the horn flattens out and loses a full set of overtones. Please don't bash this next sentence...it's an opinion. What I'm trying to say is that this horn will not sound dead and lifeless in the upper register like some REALLY expensive horns I used to own. The best way I can describe the sound of this horn is as follows The sound is Sturdy and firm like a Bach, but pliable like a great Martin Committee. This horn has a near vintage sound to my ears yet it feels strong and secure to play like many a Bach I have owned. The slots are very close together on my horn as designed to be that way by Felix. This helps me get around the pentatonic side slipping I love to do so much when soloing, and it makes runs in fourths seem like were designed to be played by a trumpet (a most unusual feeling for me at least!) Tonight I played a unison line with another trumpeter in the section that hung around on A atop the staff for nearly 40 bars! This horn seemed to play it effortlessly, and let me tell you I am NOT an effortless player by any stretch of the imagination. RESPONSE - As I stated above...this horn just speaks, and speaks easy. The notes seem to just float out of the bell especially when you back off and let it do the work for you. At times I overblew the horn, which killed the response and intonation, but when I just relaxed and played, this thing just spoke so easy and it took nearly ...I would say maybe a 1/10th of the effort I normally use. I was literally so shocked I thought maybe I was having one of those nights when you can do no wrong on the horn. I assure you after the gigs I have had this week that that was NOT the case. It was the horn not me! Articulations are crisp and clear on this horn and the sound just seems to carry forever... Intonation - When I just layed back and let the horn play itself, this thing was amazingly in tune. It is just in tune with itself in a way I can't ever remember a horn being before. It is in tune as my Monette 933 and my Bach Vindabona which are the two best horns I have ever had with regard to intonation. BUT BEWARE... If you over blow this horn it will bite you back by riding high on the pitch. This is due to my unfamiliarity with the horn at this point and not due to the horn itself. Fit and Finish - LOL! I hate this term!!!!! I always cringe when I see someone write it because it sounds so lame...like a some bolt in a machine... LAME... needless to say... the quality of this thing is second to none and at least equals the finish of my Monette. The valves are by far the best I have ever had period! and they aren't even broken in yet! Overall impressions - Well what I can say here is most important because it goes to what I think we all want in a horn. to my ears this baby sounds like a vintage jazz horn like the martin only with the stable core of a bach. This core I am talking about is almost more of a FEEL than an actual SOUND. This horn can bend pitches like the old martins and shade the color like no other horn I have played other than a martin. It will half valve like a Monette which is no small feat as to my experience those horns just sing when you do that ala Terence Blanchard... This horn will NOT sound like all the other horns you have played, and I suspect it isn't designed to, yet it WILL blend without problem. This horn ACTUALLY has character and won't sound the same for all players. My teacher Ansyn Banks played it and it screamed for him...I picked it up and it whispered with low hushed tones for me. My drummer pal Jason Tiemann (u of L faculty ) was sitting amazed at the difference in sound from player to player! I was more than able to make it scream as well!!! In the final analysis I think you can make this horn sound however you want, and I mean that beyond the normal difference in sound between different players. It will just do whatever you ask of it, simply by thinking or hearing what you want. I know that sounds absurd but I am deadly serious here. This thing just IS whatever you want it to be, and with all the configurations you could develop on this basic horn with Felix, you could really just make whatever your heart desires with this bell and valve section. Mine sounds like this to my ears ... Like the sound you would get if a Martin, Monette and Bach had a baby...This is what would come out... Silly I know, but I'm so struck by this horn that I can't think of a more reasonable way to put it. It won't poop out up top like a Monette, It won't fight you up top like a Bach, and you CAN change the sound like an old Martin. AND the slots are close enough together so lines with large leaps feel easy! anyway I will post some sound clips when I can blow it a little better. That may be tomorrow, but I am thinking later in the week... I'm in shock and awe at this point. My Stage 1 California Custom is simply amazing and allowed me to just play the music in my heart, without having to think of how to make it come out physically. Anyway, I guess I'm in love..... Oh well back to our regularly scheduled arguements about which 70 year old horn is better than the other, and whether or not you should or shouldn't do whatever it is you are trying to do.... Peace Matt Lawson Stage 1 Artist - New York Trumpet Company Last edited by beartrumpet74; 02-25-2007 at 01:19 AM. Reason: spelling mistakes

02-25-2007, 02:04 AM	#2 (permalink)
ALLCHOPS Piano User Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Posts: 333	Re: Initial Review: Stage 1 Cali Custom Whoa! Just got home and that's a lot to take in! I'll check back in the morning after I digest my bowl of Mini Wheats.. Out, TG __________________ *Curry 600 Series Mouthpieces* *Curry Authorized Dealer* *SD Systems-Endorsing Artist* *www.SDSYSTEMS.com* *http://www.myspace.com/tonygambaro*

02-25-2007, 02:24 AM	#3 (permalink)
Schwab Moderator Forte User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: the road Posts: 1,125	Re: Initial Review: Stage 1 Cali Custom Hey man, I went to school with Ansyn, tell him I say hey next time you see him. Sounds like the horn doesn't suck! __________________ Dylan Schwab Stage 1 New York

02-25-2007, 03:22 AM	#4 (permalink)
beartrumpet74 Pianissimo User Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 198	Re: Initial Review: Stage 1 Cali Custom I'll let Ansyn know you said hi! And this horn is anything but sucky LOL!!! It rules Peace Matt

02-25-2007, 10:29 AM	#5 (permalink)
DubbaCTrumpetMSU Piano User Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Soon to be Ft. Worth, TX Posts: 360	Re: Initial Review: Stage 1 Cali Custom Very impressive, Matt! That was a lot of what I felt when I played ALL of his horns...they just make everything easier! I love this Model A he's letting me use right now, but I can't wait to get my California! It seems that intonation on all of his horns is just amazing. I'm definitely getting anxious now...only about a month-a month and a half to go till mine comes in. Glad you love your new horn! Russ __________________ You don't use people to make music--you use music to make people. Bb-Eclipse MR-Scratch Gold, polished accents D/Eb-Blessing... GR 66C*, Wedge 3E...still searching for a different legit piece... Recordings of my Senior recital-Comments greatly appreciated!! www.myspace.com/russrobinson021906

02-25-2007, 11:57 AM	#6 (permalink)
miles71 Piano User Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Maryland Posts: 472	Re: Initial Review: Stage 1 Cali Custom Great review, I am excited to recieve mine. Look forward to the clips and give us some pics too. __________________ NYTC Stage 1 Endorsing Artist www.domenicomusic.com

02-25-2007, 02:28 PM	#7 (permalink)
DubbaCTrumpetMSU Piano User Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Soon to be Ft. Worth, TX Posts: 360	Re: Initial Review: Stage 1 Cali Custom Miles, he's posted some pics on an earlier thread of the horn in it's raw form, though I can't remember what the title is. It's a nice horn!!! Definitely makes me want to get mine really quick. Matt, thanks for the very in-depth review. __________________ You don't use people to make music--you use music to make people. Bb-Eclipse MR-Scratch Gold, polished accents D/Eb-Blessing... GR 66C*, Wedge 3E...still searching for a different legit piece... Recordings of my Senior recital-Comments greatly appreciated!! www.myspace.com/russrobinson021906

02-25-2007, 09:28 PM	#8 (permalink)
NYTC Forte User Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Brooklyn,NY Posts: 1,077	Re: Initial Review: Stage 1 Cali Custom Matt, Thank you very much for a great review. I have to say that this is an amazing compliment to me,coming from you. I would also like to say that this would not have been possible if it wasn't for Garry Stoner. It is all him. I had very little to do with this horn.:) __________________ www.NewYorkTrumpetCompany.com Stage 1 Trumpets

02-25-2007, 10:13 PM	#9 (permalink)
beartrumpet74 Pianissimo User Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 198	Re: Initial Review: Stage 1 Cali Custom YEAH ... BRAVO TO GARY !!! he emailed me tonight and I am just amazed by his work on the horn. Gary is amazing ... where did he come from and what has he been doing all this time. This is the first I had heard his name. Seems like someone this talented should be more well known... Peace Matt

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