It’s here! My baby which I ordered with some custom features back in March 2022…. Behold the HC2L-Lbr! If you’re wondering what that alphabet soup means, here’s a quick primer:
HC=Handcraft
2=Copper bell, nickel inner tubing, yellow brass outer tubing, X4 valve block, large bore (.468)
L=Tunable Bell
Lbr=Brushed Lacquer
While you can find some stock brushed lacquer HC2’s out in the wild, the tunable bell and amado water keys were special options that had to be built from scratch. So, my patience was tested. And I almost went crazy waiting for 9.5 months, but it was totally worth it. Many thanks to the folks at Schilke and Thompson Music who helped me with this purchase!
The HC2 Backstory
The Schilke Handcraft series is the spiritual successor to the Maritn Committee trumpets, which Mr. Renold Schilke designed. These horns (that is, the vintage Martins) have achieved a somewhat mystical status with Jazz trumpet players, mainly due to Miles Davis (who played them his entire career) and Chris Botti (who stoked the fire on finding #3 bore Committees–and they are not cheap). Other heavyweights like Kenny Dorham, Maynard Ferguson, and many more all spent some time on the Committee. Side Note: I feel like emulating Kenny Dorham is very natural on the HC2:
I’ve always been interested in trying out a Committee, however buying a vintage horn has its pitfalls. Committees often need a valve rebuild and lead pipe replacement. Beyond that, there is a common consensus that Committees have intonation quirks.
Because of those challenges, and the fact that there were no Committees close to my location to try out, I decided to go for a more modern take on the Committee, and hope for the best.
Many manufacturers have tried to capitalize on the Committee mystique over the years by creating direct copies or very close copies of the original Martin specs. Kanstul, Lawler, and Adams all have great models inspired by the Committee, and other models, like the Yamaha 8310z, are definitely descended from the Committee.
It is surprising Schilke (the company) didn’t jump on the Martin bandwagon given Schilke’s (the man) hand in forming the original. But, if you talk to Schilke (the company) they would probably point to the longtime model Schilke B7 as a very close counterpart.
At any rate, the Schilke Handcraft series was introduced about 10 years ago, with the HC1 and HC2. The HC1 is a bit brighter than the HC2. While again I stress that I haven’t personally played a Committee, my research has shown that the current Schilke HC series is an update to the Committee designs, and not a direct copy.
The biggest question to answer is: Has Schilke made a trumpet that simply capitalizes on our strange fascination with Martin Committees, or have they truly innovated the original Martin design into something new and exciting?
I think the answer is yes to both! I wouldn’t have tried it if it wasn’t somehow linked to the Committee. At the same time, beyond the bell shape, there is enough here that is different from the rest of the Schilke lineup to give someone a very unique, different, and modern take on the Martin sound.
Side Note on Tunable Bells
I am one of those weird dudes who favors the tuning bell; i.e. a bell that is completely detachable from the trumpet. Tunable bells have been a staple of Schilke trumpets for decades. The HC2 with a tuning bell is not very common. The only other guys I have seen with this configuration are Diego Urcola and possibly Darren Barrett. (Steve Fishwick plays a silver-plated regular bell HC2. Wallace Roney appears to have a HC2 bell on a vintage Martin). All of those fellas sound amazing.
If you haven’t tried a tunable bell before, it’s hard to explain how it feels. But if I had to try to sum it up, there are a few main differences from a conventional bell setup.
Difference #1: You get a lot more feedback. You can feel the horn vibrating in your hands, probably due to the lack of bracing on the bell, and that vibration is definitely felt through the mouthpiece.
Difference #2: For me, I notice a much more open “blow” and less resistance when the tuning slide is completely inserted into the lead pipe. I do all of my tuning through the bell.
Difference #3: There is a richer overtone series on tunable bells. When I’m practicing alone, it’s a huge difference. Playing with a group, I don’t notice it as much, and I doubt an audience would hear the difference, but it gives a different nuance to long tone and intonation practice.
Difference #4: Slotting is sometimes more challenging than with a traditional braced bell. A tunable bell brace can help with this, which I’ve used extensively on my Getzen Eterna which has a tuning bell. However, on the HC2, I found I didn’t really need it and preferred the freer blow without the brace.
Play Test Videos
Takeaways: Compared to my Bach 37 and my Getzen 900 Eterna Classic, the Schilke HC2 is much easier to “slot” in the lower and upper register. It is insanely easy to go from low F# all the way up to double G.
Speaking of the upper register, I can really turn on the gas above high C, where on my other horns it feels like I’m already maxed out when I get there.
I was surprised that my go-to mouthpiece, the Curry 60C, actually didn’t feel very good with the HC2. So, I tried the mouthpiece that came with the case, the Schilke 15, and I’ve actually loved it. I believe it is somewhere in the neighborhood of a Bach 1C.
Now that I’ve got recordings up for the Schilke, Bach, and Getzen, it’s really interesting to compare the three. Don’t forget to check out my Bach and Getzen playlists, or you can look at playlists by song, to hear the differences.
Recommended Player Profile
The Schilke HC2 is definitely geared towards the Jazz/Commercial player. It can play decently in all styles, but my setup here and the design specs with the Copper bell especially make it at home in Jazz combo and big band settings.
Even though it has a huge bell taper, I actually found the upper register to be quite responsive. Although I don’t play lead at all, I think with a lead mouthpiece, this horn would actually work fine for upper register exploits. (The copper bell wouldn’t be a conventional choice for lead playing).
| Jazz Soloist | The trumpeter who primarily plays small group jazz and could be a section player in a big band. |
The Trumpet Madness Rating Scale
Overall Versatility Score: 7/10
Similar to my score on the Getzen Eterna, the HC2 excels in Jazz/Commercial settings, and can handle Classical excerpts decently enough. However, you probably won’t see a lot of these horns in symphonic situations, but it wasn’t designed to be.
You may think that the horn design would lend it to only playing smokey ballads, but the horn is actually quite versatile. It’s agile, responsive, and mouthpiece sensitive.
Overall Pricing Score: 9/10
As of 2023, the HC2 usually retails around $3,800, which isn’t too high or too low. Given Schilke’s extraordinary quality (more on that below), the pricing represents an excellent value.
Used Schilke HC2’s fall into the $2,000-$3,000 range.
Overall Quality Score: 9/10
It is remarkable that Schilke (the company) still produces every trumpet model by hand. There are some custom trumpet makers who do similar work for nearly twice the price.
Looks Cool Score: 9/10
The HC2 bell on its own pushes this score up a few points beyond the average of 5. Combined with the brushed lacquer, this trumpet looks quite stunning.
Overall Score: (7 + 9 + 9 + 9)/4 = 8.5
Conclusion
The Schilke HC2 is a beautiful instrument that is a great option for the Jazz soloist who occasionally might play in other settings like section/lead trumpet parts in big bands, salsa bands, and maybe a community orchestra gig. The giant copper bell gives a ton of natural warmth, and the large bore offers a huge tonal spectrum.
Trumpet Madness 