kdawg

I posted this over at the TH, I figured I'd post it both places to maximize response:

So i'll be graduating from high school this spring and going off to college (no clue where yet, so don't ask). And I've recently fallen back in love with my getzen. So as oposed to getting a brand spankin new horn, I'm thinking I want to get my horn "tweaked." Now, since I'm from "middle of nowhere" North Dakota, I'm unsure about where to go, or even what to have done. I got a pilczuk pipe for my olds but haven't had it installed yet. I was originally going to do that horn, but I like my getzen more before the fact, so I'm putting the olds "restoration" on hold. questions are: What kind of tweaking should I do? (so far all i have is a valve alignment and probably a new leadpipe) should i go for an all out conversion? (i dunno who does them...) When I get the leadpipe who should I get it from? (all i know of are blackburn, Pilczuk, and najoom, reviews please!) And finally when I finally figure out what I want done, who should I send my horn to, and what is their aprox. turnaround time? (i'd need it back in a month, music camps in july) Thanks in advance for all of the responses!

edit: would i just be ahead finding a strad and having all of this done, most sites i've checked seem to favor those

dcstep

I think that you should figure out where you're going to college first. IF your going to be music major at some schools, then you'll be better off with a Bach 37 or Yamaha Xeno (unless you go to Alabama, then you'll need to by a new Getzen from Candelaria! Some schools don't care what you play, so long as you sound good, particularly if you're in jazz studies, but many schools with emphasis on "legit" lean toward the Bach standard.

If you're going to major in something else, but continue to play, then consider keeping your Getzen an hotrodding it. Talk to Wayne Tanabe at Brass Bow about possibilities, ranging from valve alignment to an expensive rebuild.

Dave

kdawg

trumpet performance major, and yeah I think you're right, I need to make sure I don't need to get a strad.

Andy Cooper

You did not mention what model Getzen you had. Any Getzen lower than the 900 series - don't mess with it. Just sell it to a student that needs a good mid priced trumpet. 900 series - perhaps a valve alignment if it needs it - otherwise leave it alone - it is supposed to play and sound that way. It would still make a good college horn for Jazz band. If it is a Renaissance 20 or Stamm 20m you might e-mail Najoom. Najoom was involved in the design of the 20 model and he could advise you on whether replacing it with the new Najoom lp would give you an advantage. The renaissance was designed for symphonic work.

Ambassador - Ifyou have one from the 60's or 70's they have a very dark core sound - but not a lot of complex overtones. With the right mpc you can blend well with Bachs and Xenos so in a pinch it could be your "symphonic" horn until you get the money for a Bach , Xeno or super horn. You might get another trumpet player to play your Ambassador for you against a Bach and or Xeno. Then try the new leadpipe (you can tape it on for this experiment). Again comparing it to a Bach and or Xeno. Then of course try it yourself. If it is not that big a difference, sell the leadpipe. Keep the Ambassador (with or without the new leadpipe) as your backup whether you sell the Getzen or not.

Hopefully, you can keep both trumpets and get a better one too.

uatrmpt

Alabama at Birmingham!!!!! Don't get them confused with the real University of Alabama. :P The trumpet teacher at UA (the real one) is John McElroy from the Alabama Symphony. Great player and great teacher.

At any rate, I took some lessons from Dr. Candelaria last spring and I would say he only played an Edwards in lessons about half the time. The rest of the time, he was playing a raw brass Bach. When he did play the Edwards it was the heavyweight one (the Gen X?). He also used a Stork 1 mouthpiece.