Trumpets, Piccolo Trumpets, Cornets & Flugelhorns: Reviews of Some Noteworthy Brands

I recently travelled to San Antonio, Texas to attend the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Convention in San Antonio, Texas. This convention is a big one that attracts a large number of instrument dealers (both manufacturers and retailers) who exhibit their instruments there so that can be auditioned and tested by the many musicians and music educators who attend the conference. This article describes the results of my findings and opinions on some of the best instruments that I played on at this conference.

Since most of us know about the fine reputations of some the more established trumpet brands (such as Bach, Yamaha, Schilke, and Blackburn), this article will focus mostly on some more surprising positive findings that I discovered while testing instruments that fall into one of these three categories: (1) Instrument brands that are relatively new; (2) Instrument brands that have only recently been distributed to the United States; or (3) Instruments whose less well-known brand names that are deserving of wider recognition and should therefore be considered when purchasing a new instrument.

First, let’s look at a couple of great new trumpet lines that are imported from Germany. First is the Cannonball trumpet. Both trumpet models in this Big Bell Stone Series professional trumpet line, the 725, and the 789RL (reverse leadpipe) are excellent Bb trumpets that both compare very favorably with the Bach Stradivarius trumpet, which is the standard against which all other trumpets must be measured. (I especially like the reverse leadpipe model.) These instruments come in four different finish options: silver plated, retro-gold laquered, unlaquered, and black nickel plated. The instruments sound truly great in all four finish options. (See the Cannonball link for pictures of the different finishes and for additional specifications and details. Interestingly, standard features on these instruments include some extra “bling” for the trumpet: semi-precious stone valve buttons and matching resonance stone (on the body of the instrument.) Different types of stones are used as an option on these instruments. These instruments were represented at TMEA by Melhart Music Center of McAllen, Texas.

Another outstanding trumpet brand that is newly available in the USA is K & H (Kühnl & Hoyer). My favorite horns in their trumpet line are the Malte Burba Universal II professional Bb trumpet and the Malte Burba Classicum C trumpet. Again, I think that these instruments compare very favorably to Bachs and they appear to be well-crafted. The C trumpet has an especially interesting design because of the fact that the bell is set further back than other brands of Cs, so that it appears to be a shorter bell model instrument. The result is that this instrument balances in your hands very nicely and is extremely comfortable to hold in playing position. An unusual feature of both of these models is the straight braces that connect the bell to the instrument. K & H also has some other nice Bb models that are geared more toward jazz and lead trumpet players who might want a slighter brighter sound and slightly less-restricted feel. (Check the links in this paragraph for specifications and details on all of the K & H trumpets.)

Another brand that really surprised me and got my attention was the R. S. Berkeley line of trumpets (and cornets and flugelhorns.) Each one of the Berkeley trumpets and cornets that I played had a beautiful sound and feel, had really nice features, and the prices of these instruments is amazingly low. Another great bargain from this company is the R. S. Berkeley FLU668 flugelhorn, which I think is the most beautiful-sounding three-valve flugelhorn that I have ever played on. Its features include a third valve slide trigger. Berkeley also makes a piccolo trumpet, which is a real dog. For some reason, it doesn’t seem to be of the same high quality as the regular Bb trumpets and cornets in the line. The valve action, tuning, and tone quality of the piccolo trumpet were all very poor. But don’t let this scare you away from the Bb trumpets and cornets, which I liked very much. (Check the links in this paragraph for specifications and details of all of these Berkeley instruments.)

Last, but certainly not least, is the Getzen line of trumpets, cornets, and flugelhorns. Getzen is a brand that has been around for a long time (since 1962) but yet is still not as well-known or as widely recognized as the ubiquitous Bach or Yamaha brands. This is unfortunate, because Getzen makes some excellent instruments that are as good as or better than any others that are currently available, and many well-known professionals play these instruments. I played on every instrument (trumpets, cornets, and flugelhorns) at the Getzen booth, and I did not find one single instrument there that I did not like. My favorite Getzen models include the 3052 Custom Bb Trumpet (compares very favorably with the Bach Stradivarius Bb) and the 3071 Custom Series C Trumpet, with #29 heavy gold brass bell (an outstanding alternative to my old Bach Stradivarius 229 bell, 25H leadpipe C trumpet, which is my standard against which all other C trumpets are measured.) Even though (unlike Mike Vax), I am primarily a classical trumpet player, I also really liked the 3001MV Artist Model Vax Model Bb Trumpet. Mike Vax himself was there at the Getzen booth and it was a pleasure seeing and talking with the legendary lead trumpet player.

And speaking of legends…..
While in San Antonio, I also went to The Landing (a famous jazz club on the River Walk in San Antonio, at the bottom of the Hyatt hotel, downtown.) There I heard the fantastic resident jazz band that plays there almost every night, led by the legendary jazz cornet player, Jim Cullum. I really enjoyed getting to visit and talk with Jim in between sets. We talked shop a lot, and I also got to hear many of Jim’s great stories about some of the numerous wonderful, famous musicians that he has known and performed with over the years. Jim has played a Getzen cornet for many years now, and I also love the entire line of Getzen cornets (and I tried all of these out at this convention.) Even the Getzen student model cornets and student model trumpets are great!

Getzen also makes my absolute favorite flugelhorn, the four-valve 896 Eterna Flugelhorn. What a beautiful, great-playing instrument! (Which is why I own one myself.) I also played on all of the piccolo trumpets that were exhibited at the TMEA convention (including all models of the ever-popular Schilke piccolos), and I concluded that my favorite piccolo trumpet is still the Getzen Model 940S Eterna piccolo trumpet (I have owned one of these myself for a long time.) A recent improvement to this model is the addition of Blackburn leadpipes that now come standard with this instrument. Many of us professional piccolo trumpet players with older instruments had replaced the original leadpipes with Blackburn leadpipes (which makes for a major upgrade in quality.) The Getzen company recognized this trend and in November of 2007 decided to contract the Blackburn company to make its Eterna piccolo trumpet leadpipes. With the Blackburn leadpipes, I don’t think that this instrument can be beat. Sure, you could pay a lot more for a Schilke or some other brand of piccolo trumpet, but in my opinion, they just aren’t as good as the Getzen 940S Eterna piccolo trumpet. Getzen offers a high quality trumpet line with very reasonable prices. Getzen is a brand that should definitely be considered when shopping for a new instrument of any kind (trumpets in any key, cornet, or flugelhorn.)