ItsMikeE

I am looking to buy a B flat trumpet for the first time in over 30 years.

My Vincent Bach Mercedes II was stolen the other day.
I am an occasional player, doing some jazz and some pop band horn section.
I use a Bach 7c mouthpiece.
I would say I have a nice tone, but not very good range.

I know my Mercedes was classed as a student model, but it played very well, better than some Strads I have tried.

OK that's the background, now for the advice.

Model Consistency - Do you reckon all (new) trumpets of a particular model sound and play the same? Or do you get different characteristics on what should be identical instruments? I would have thought there is a difference, but there seems to be a large number of internet / mail order vendors, so presumably some people buy without trying

New or Second Hand - Anyone know where to find 2nd hand instruments in the UK? Presumably I can go to Ebay, but then I would not get a chance to try out a horn before bidding.

I don't know yet how much I want to spend, not sure if my insurance will cover this or not. Even if it does, I don't know how they would value a 30+ year old instrument.
But to get me started what would you guys recommend in the £1,000 price bracket (both new and second-hand)?

Thanks in advance

Mike

GordonH

My advice would be to go to Myatt or Phil Parker and try a range of instruments which are similar to what you had (i.e. conventional medium weight trumpets with standard lead pipes).
Don't be too brand conscious as there are lots of good ones out there from smaller manufacturers or ones no longer in business.

__________________
"O trumpeter, methinks I am myself the instrument thou playest,
Thou melt'st my heart, my brain--thou movest, drawest, changest
them at will;" (Walt Whitman)

Vulgano Brother

Sorry to hear about your trumpet getting stolen! Yamaha has a real good reputation as to the consistency of their instruments, but not every player loves them. In the EU, Stomvi might be a pretty good value, and worth checking out. In the jazz/pop field you might want to consider a Getzen, here in the States greatly under-priced (in my opinion, natch). Good luck on finding a replacement!

__________________
www.letsbuildhope.org

Tootsall

You could also do a lot worse than getting in touch with Leigh McKinney at Eclipse Trumpets or Andy Taylor (Taylor Trumpets). They frequently take in traders for their own horns and generally have pretty decent prices...and you'll know that their "used" horns have been gone over by the best.

Edit: And they are both in UK so you can visit their shops and actually try the horns out before deciding.

ItsMikeE

Thanks for the suggestion.
I knew about Eclipse. They are not too long a drive for me. I have now looked up Taylor, a bit of a drive, but could be worth a visit.

ItsMikeE

I thought I would post an update, although I have not made any decisions yet.
I went to Phil Parkers in London yesterday.
I tried (all prices approximate):
B&S (Strad copy, £800)
VB Strad (£1200)
Yamaha Xeno (£1200)
Schilke B1 (£1800)
Schilke S22 (£1800)

I was expecting a big difference between the £800 and £1200 trumpets, and a smaller difference between the £1200 and £1800 trumpets as the law of diminishing returns kicked in.

What I found was
B&S - liked it - as good as Strad
Strad - Liked it but didn't love it
Xeno - Fine on staccato very bright stuff but awful on lyrical playing. I wouldn't get this if it cost £200
Schilke B1 - Very impressed. A world of difference. Everything note was bang in pitch, and it was so nice to play. (I actually tried a second B1 which was similar but not quite as nice)
Schilke S22 - Didn't like it. There seemed to be a lot of resistance which made playing feel unnatural.

Hopefully next week I will be off to another shop which stocks Getzens amongst others, then comes the difficult bit - making a decision

GordonH

I posted this in my blog in 2005, so you are not alone in that conclusion.

__________________
"O trumpeter, methinks I am myself the instrument thou playest,
Thou melt'st my heart, my brain--thou movest, drawest, changest
them at will;" (Walt Whitman)

Solar Bell

MikeE

It sounds like the Schilke is a pretty good coice for you.

I played a Schilke B1 for a while and it was a great horn

I am surprised at the cost of the horns in the U.K., at 1800 pounds for a Schilke, is 2000 pounds for an Eclipse out of the question?

Enjoy your testing!

-cw-

__________________
Chuck Willard
The Willard of Oz

"Don't be afraid to see what you see."
Ronald Reagan

GordonH

It can often be cheaper to buy from overseas.
Thomann have the B1 for £1300
Bb Trumpets - U.K. International Cyberstore

Because they are in the EU there is no VAT or import duty to pay just the carriage fee which I believe is about £50.

__________________
"O trumpeter, methinks I am myself the instrument thou playest,
Thou melt'st my heart, my brain--thou movest, drawest, changest
them at will;" (Walt Whitman)

ItsMikeE

I started out hoping to get something for around £1,000, but stage 1 is just to see what is out there.
If I decide on an American horn (such as a Schilke or Getzen) then I may combine a trip to the States with a new horn, as the difference in price (particularly with the pound being strong at the moment) makes this a good option.

First things first though, I want to try out a few more horns.

I also looked at Thomann, but I am really loathe to buy a trumpet without trying it first.