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A month or so ago I was reading a couple of threads and have had these thoughts muddling around in my head and I just wanted to see what others opinions were on the subject:

1) Some people were discussing if it was really property attach players names to horns and products which they themselves did not design. They seemed to argue it was a marketing gimmick, which certainly is true. However, if names were not associated with certain items, either earned or unearned, would anybody know or much less care about the Hellebergs, Geibs, Donatelli's etc?

2) A while back people were discussing the relative pace of R&D for Tubas versus other instruments, such as trumpets. Is it possible that we have limited ourselves in that regard? I have never heard anyone complain about the CSO York, in fact we clone it. And eventually, I assume, Jin Bao will clone the clone. I have never heard a trumpet player speak Dizzy Gillespie's trumpet or Louis Armstrong's cornet in the same way we speak of the CSO horn. it seems to me that we have decided that we have already made the best we can, surely the CSO horn has its place, but perhaps a change of perspective is necessary

thezman wrote:A while back people were discussing the relative pace of R&D for Tubas versus other instruments, such as trumpets. Is it possible that we have limited ourselves in that regard?

Coming from the trumpet world, I don't see tubas in any way limited, whether in design, variety, development, or especially tone quality. I am amazed at the many different types and styles of tubas (not even considering tubas of different keys). I come from a community where a trumpet and a cornet (which are much more similar to each other than any number of tubas are to each other) are considered two different instruments. That to me seems much more limited.

Hup

thezman wrote:I have never heard a trumpet player speak Dizzy Gillespie's trumpet or Louis Armstrong's cornet in the same way we speak of the CSO horn. it seems to me that we have decided that we have already made the best we can, surely the CSO horn has its place, but perhaps a change of perspective is necessary

Due to their skills, the styles of Diz and Louis were much more distinctive than what horns they used. A true historian of the jazz trumpet is welcome to correct me but it's my impression that Louis pretty much used whatever horn placed in his hands but frequently used one of about four varieties of Selmer Bb trumpet. Dizzy's bent horn was more an affectation rather than for tonal characteristics although he did say that the bend made it easier for him to hear the sound. Much of his work was done with a straight belled horn and he appeared in a lot of magazine ads for Martin Committee Bb trumpets.

Put an Olds Ambassador in the hands of these men and they would still sound like themselves.

The CSO also has a full set of custom made Bach trumpets that are thought to be a higher calibre instrument. One of the perks of winning a position of trumpet player in the CSO is to use these instruments.

There are at least four varieties of CSO York copy and there are manufacturers, engineers and players trying to improve them all the time. We are tuba goons so we pay attention to that sort of thing. Forums for trumpet goons are full of talk about individual horns played by individual players and the relative merits of each. Here at TubeNet, we also have beergirls, steins of beer, plates of food and people throwing bowls of popcorn at each other. That makes us better.

Jeff "Shutting up for awhile to get some work done" Benedict