tom turner

Hi Tim,

We look forward to hearing your full report on the "Thang!"

John just got the horn from Tim and will be testing it for the next few days before it goes to Peter to wrap up the Florida leg of the tour.

Tom

Tim80

Well Here I am with my "Report"!!! First of all let me say how much respect I have for Tom. It is no light "Thang" that he is willing to allow this trumpet to be shipped around the country to people he hasn't even met. My co-workers were amazed when I took it to work to ship it to John. Tom you are a class act.


I thoroughly enjoyed my limited time with the "Thang". I think it is one of the finest instruments on the market today. I was very impressed with the fit and finish of the trumpet. It is very well made. I would expect no less from a Kanstul product. The silver plate was perfect. The valves were typical Kanstul valves in that they were very quick and smooth. The slides were very smooth and tight also. The Silver Plating was flawless. This horn was well balanced. The amado water keys were convenient to use. It came with two slides. The Boston Cornet style valve buttons are also a neat feature. The Walt Johnson case is a vault. The horn was secure in it for sure. A very very nice accessory.


I am a comeback player. Believe me when I say this horn is easy to play. The blow of the horn surprised me. I use a GR e65M mouthpiece. It didn't seem to me like I was blowing a .470 bore trumpet. The blow was nice and open. No stuffiness here. Yet it seem like it was sucking me dry like some other large bore trumpets I've played. The scale was very even. I prefered the #2 slide. With the #1 slide I was not centering notes as well as I would like. But I'm sure that once I had become accustomed to it that problem would have been resolved. With either slide my range increased by a full step. The intonation on this trumpet was superb. The trumpet is very responsive. It was a Joy to play. The tone was rich, full and round. My preconception was that it would be almost too dark. I was surprised. It produces a nice trumpet sound. I'm just a church player. The Worship Center I play in is very lively. The tone from the "Thang" just seemed to fill the room. I definitely think the Wild Thing deserves the mantle of Superhorn.


I compared this trumpet to several instruments of which I had access. They were a La Benge 3X+, my friends Lawler TL-6R and my Gerhard Baier intermediate trumpet. In the short period of time I had the trumpet I wasn't able to round up a bigger selection. Really no contest with my old worn Benge and intermediate trumpet and the "Thang". I think the Lawler and the Wild Thing are both Super Horns that are comparable in quality. The Wild Thing had a richer, bigger, fuller tone than any of the other trumpets. I think the Lawler had a more darker, focused tone. Both trumpets had an open feel to their blow. The WT was every bit as responsive as the Benge and Lawler too. I have to admit that I like the Getzen valves on the Lawler a little bit better than Kanstul's valves. Not a knock against Kanstuls. The Getzen's are just a little bit smoother. I think the difference between a Wild Thing and the Lawler was a matter of taste. Those that like big bores will go "Wild" and people who like smaller bores may prefer a Lawler. Of course if you want a big full tone then the Wild Thing is the obvious choice. I'd like to reiterate that the WT didn't seem to blow like a big bore. And of course the Lawler can be customized according to one's needs. Over all I'd say the Wild Thing is definitely deserving of the Super Horn title. Thanks again Tom for allowing me this opportunity to play one of the finest trumpets ever made.

Tim

bkmdano

Tim brought the "Thang" over the other night to let me test the horn. My first impression was a very nice look, good silver plating. I picked the horn up and enjoyed the open blow. It had the #1 slide and was very easy to play, no resistance. It reminded me of a Schilke X3. The tone was good, middle of the road to bright. The valves were very fast, however a bit noisy for my taste. I then switched to the #2 slide and the horn changed. I felt it become a little smaller but still open. much easier to control. I was able to play soft throughout the horn, and the response was very good. I was not able to make the sound spread out at high levels. Overall it was a very good horn. Thank you Tom for allowing us to try it.