TromboneChat

I'm starting to look at adding a bass trumpet to the collection. I've played it several times for the Rite of Spring, and I'm starting to want to play it more and more.

Anyone have thoughts on bass trumpets? I wasn't looking at getting a thein for my first bass trumpet, something lower priced to see if my interest is sustained without too much $$. I think I would prefer rotors but for the first instrument i'm ok with pistons. Used is probably the way to go? I see mid range brands like wessex but I've never tried them, so I'm skeptical.

Thanks,

Lidl

Tried one which was priced very keenly, played well, wish I’d bought it

Thein bass trumpets cost as much as a good used car. Look at Conn, Bach, Holton. All used, no longer made I believe. Holtons in good condition are very high priced for some reason. King never offered one I believe, instead they had a Flugabone. Did Olds make a bass trumpet? That would be a rare find but a good one I suspect. Otherwise, to keep it affordable you'd probably need to go to the Chinese brands.

MrHCinDE wrote: ↑Fri May 05, 2023 9:44 am Lidl

Tried one which was priced very keenly, played well, wish I’d bought it

I have one and it's great for the price. Not perfectly in tune, not the easiest to play, but it works and it sounds like a bass trumpet. I think it's quite fun.

I second (third?) the Lidl. Totally great place to start the stellar money pit that's bass trumpet. Pitch and playability are fine in their wonkiness. Can work for Rite of Spring or Janeck, not quite gonna have a good time with Wagner.

Had one about six years. Recently upgraded to a used 4 rotor C Mienl-Weston. Huge upgrade in pitch and playability, all the years with the Lidl contribute to that. Lidl's are also a lot easier to find used.

Also played a Mack Brass piston one for a while. Honestly it's not bad. Not great, but enjoyable to play.

I have a Thein. It's amazing. I've also tried the Latzsch which I believe is just as good.

Alexander I think is probably the next tier down and is something like half the price but it's also really good. Perhaps a few more intonation issues.

I also have a Mount Vernon Bach which I think is quite good and actually has an extremely similar timbre to the Thein, although the blow is quite different. They can be had for about a fifth of the price of a new Thein... haha

I don't like the Meinl-Weston in C very much although baltimore brass used to have a meinl-weston in Eb which was very good.

I had a Getzen piston instrument in my possession for a while which I was not very impressed with. I think the Holton has similar limitations. I've heard the Kanstul and the Conn are OK but they could be hard to find.

The Lidl has a nice sound but it's not the easiest to play.

I created a short instagram reel comparing my two bass trumpets and my kanstul 955 flugelbone.

Macbone1 wrote: ↑Fri May 05, 2023 11:20 amDid Olds make a bass trumpet?

Not as far as I know, but I've learned to "never say never" when it comes to questions of that sort. All sorts of one-off stuff from Olds in the pre-CMI years.

The Holton is excellent.

True. I have one!

greenbean wrote: ↑Sat May 06, 2023 1:23 am The Holton is excellent.

I have an old one. It's very clearly a trumpet rather than a valve trombone. It's also probably more of a "band" instrument than an orchestral but does the job just fine. It could probably do with adding a tuning trigger on the 3rd valve.

Incidentally, the Rite is really for what we might call an Alto trumpet (in F?) which is why it's the 4th trumpet double.

S

sf105 wrote: ↑Sun May 07, 2023 5:26 am

greenbean wrote: ↑Sat May 06, 2023 1:23 am The Holton is excellent.

I have an old one. It's very clearly a trumpet rather than a valve trombone. It's also probably more of a "band" instrument than an orchestral but does the job just fine. It could probably do with adding a tuning trigger on the 3rd valve.

Incidentally, the Rite is really for what we might call an Alto trumpet (in F?) which is why it's the 4th trumpet double.

S

The part to the "Rite..." is in E flat, and is a double in the 4th C trumpet part. It would go down to the lowest note on an E flat bass (alto) trumpet - their written low F sharp, so it's not exactly a user-friendly option to have a trumpet player actually double on the lower instrument.

Jim Scott

CalgaryTbone wrote: ↑Sun May 07, 2023 9:36 am

sf105 wrote: ↑Sun May 07, 2023 5:26 am Incidentally, the Rite is really for what we might call an Alto trumpet (in F?) which is why it's the 4th trumpet double.

The part to the "Rite..." is in E flat, and is a double in the 4th C trumpet part. It would go down to the lowest note on an E flat bass (alto) trumpet - their written low F sharp, so it's not exactly a user-friendly option to have a trumpet player actually double on the lower instrument.

Jim Scott

Thanks for the reminder. The last time we played it, I managed to find a trumpet player who did the double. In addition to taking up one less chair on a crowded stage, it cut through nicely.

Something I've been thinking of. https://wholesalerslimited.com/product/ ... c-trumpet/ It's an instrument I've always wanted to learn and I think putting something to make the main tuning slide move easy should make this a good play.

I came across another Lidl, the piston-valves version, and this time decided to buy.

It confirmed my good first impressions of the one I had tried previously. It really is a lot of fun to play. I don‘t suppose I‘ll be gigging it much but might swap it in for some of the brass tentet playing on 1st trombone parts which I‘ve otherwise seen performed on an alto valve bone.

I wasn’t in the market for something costing thousands of € and the weakest point, intonation, is manageable. It‘s no worse than a 3V oval tenorhorn. A 3rd valve trigger would be nice but it’s just about possible to use the first valve thumb hook / slide to help on the low C and B natural.

The sound is quite pleasing, sounds sufficiently different to a valve bone to make it interesting.

My first attempts with a Bach 11C and 12C worked ok but I felt like I was fighting it. I also tried a Bach 9, it was more secure than the 11C/12C but too much of a horn sound for my liking. With the Yamaha 48A it really comes alive with a majestic trumpet sound and the intonation quirks are also much reduced.