Original_Username

I've finally found a shop that sells Schilke trumpets in Beijing!

I was so excited to find a Schilke dealer in Beijing a few days ago. Lately I've had absolutely no idea where to actually try out a nice instrument. The only actualy professional models that I've played before were two that are owned by a few friends who had relatives order them in the US.

One is the Bach Stradivarius "Big Apple" with a 37 bell and 25 leadpipe. Basically its a 180 w/ gold trim. I noticed that it had a little too much resistance for my liking which is odd since my Bach TR300 was a lot more open (and it should also have a similar set-up am I correct?).

I've also tried the Yamaha Xeno RGS and I kinda liked the horn. Found the horn was a tad tight or just more focused then my current horn, but it was better for me then the Bach Strad I tried.

So, now that I've actually located a Schilke trumpet dealer, I'm wonder in what method I should test out the trumpets. I read the Schilke Loyalist site and it said to start with a B5. If I want more open then I should head down to the B1. If I want more resistance then head to the X3. If I want more core then try the S32. More resistance, then the S22. More open then the S42.

I was wondering if there are other tips that I should try. I really like the stuff I've heard about the Schilke brand and I figure that if I have to work for my own trumpet then I should start researching which one I would be interested in getting.

I'm planning to bring along one friend (my stand partner/best friend) for an outside opinion (plus he wants to get a jazz mouthpiece anyways, though I wanna try with a Curry instead), my old trumpet, and a tuner.

What's a good method to begin testing a horn?

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Bach TR300 Bb Trumpet

Bach 1.5 C Mouthpiece

ozboy

I have no advice other than to say that I play a B5 and love it.It is a versatile horn and I have never seen a Schilke dud. ( I am sure there is someone out there who will argue this point.)
Having said that, there are a lot of very good horns out there. Don't rush in. I rushed in once and bought a Calicchio 1s7 and it was a disaster for me. Other people loved the horn so I had no trouble offloading it.
When I say I have no advice, don't get tricked into trying the horn in a small sound booth. It's a good idea to go to a room woth some acoustic qualities.

gchun

I like to start in the middle and low register, at a medium to soft volume and slower technical things. Get a feel for the slots, then expand in range, volume and technique. Along with a friend, you might want to take a recorder. Record yourself on your regular horn, then the trial horns.

Once you narrow it down, see if they will let you borrow it to try it out at a gig or rehearsal. Most local stores let me borrow a horn for a day or two. If not, it might be worth paying a few bucks or deposit to try it out in real world conditions. Better to spend a few bucks to get the right horn rather than thousands later on the wrong one.

Good luck and have fun. Schilkes are great horns. Try all you can get your hands on. Definitely try the B1, B5, S32 and S42. And, note that tuning bell versions of the horn are different animals entirely from the fixed bell versions. Have fun!!

Garry