Playtest: Bajoc Frankenhorn

For years and years I’ve played a Getzen Eterna 900 tuning bell trumpet made around 1981. It is a rare bird–I’ve only seen two listed publicly since I’ve actively watched trumpet classified ads a few years ago. The TLDR version of this post is I had it restored with some new parts via Bájoc Music, […]

What B Flat Trumpet Should I Buy? Tier 1: $15,000+

It’s been a while since I’ve written about buying new trumpets. As you recall from my scintillating intro article, the new trumpet market is divided into five pricing tiers: Today we’ll be diving into Tier 1, which is the territory of Monette. Note that I won’t be talking about Monette mouthpieces or non-trumpet models in […]

Gear Roundup: Cleaning Equipment

Let’s be honest. Cleaning brass instruments is kind of gross. And time consuming. Here’s a photo of a recent cleaning session for my stable of horns. Fun, right? I didn’t include any pictures of the weird floaties that were left over. I remember hearing an anecdote about John Faddis using a clarinet swab in his […]

Playtest: Schilke HC2L-Lbr

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 […]

What B Flat Trumpet Should I Buy? Part 4: Small Businesses and Dealers (United States)

There are no shortage of small businesses, chains, and boutique companies out there which can help you find your dream horn. I’ve highlighted only a few here. While many of these do ship internationally, this article is more geared towards the United States. Be sure to do some of your own research with each seller […]

What B Flat Trumpet Should I Buy? Part 3: How To Find Trumpets For Sale By Owner

Now that you’re familiar with the Trumpet Madness Pricing Tiers and Scoring Scale, it’s possible that you’ve got thousands of dollars burning a hole in your pocket. Or, you’re saving your pennies to purchase your dream horn in a few months. Either way, you’ll need to buy that horn from somewhere. Prior to your Trumpet […]

What B Flat Trumpet Should I Buy? Part 2: The Trumpet Madness Scoring Scale

As you recall from my scintillating Part 1 article, the new trumpet market is divided into five pricing tiers: Trumpet Madness Overall Scoring Method Now that we’ve established the pricing tiers, it’s important to talk about some other important categories that will help you figure things out beyond the $$$. These categories include: Player Profile, […]

What B Flat Trumpet Should I Buy? Part 1: Pricing Tiers

It’s never been easier to purchase a Bb trumpet. Armed with an internet connection and your credit card, you have access to purchase your new axe from a dizzying array of manufacturers, dealers, and independent sellers. While healthy competition usually benefits the consumer, so many choices can be overwhelming. Even within the same brand, manufacturers […]