Posted by Rick Denney on December 23, 2002 at 19:08:19:
In Reply to: Re: Ho Ho Holton! posted by Frank on December 23, 2002 at 11:26:25:
The 20J has the same easy warmth as the big Holton, which is what led me to pursue the right big horn more seriously. It does not have the ability to play softly and the sound isn't the same. But it wasn't manageable in an ensemble setting for me, except for outdoor concerts with march music and the like. The 20J is actually pretty nimble, and the short-action valves are a lot of fun. But three of them wasn't enough.
Intonation is a bit difficult to manage on the 20J, though people who play them understand this and work with it (or live with it). The third partial is quite flat, and this apparently afflicts some Holtons as well.
The main reason it wasn't manageable for me was the ergonomics of the top-action horn. My left eye is quite bad and I'm unused to reading with it, and I had a hard time getting to where I could see the music. Had I found a front-action 36J that worked well instead of the Holton, I might have gone that direction. I'm glad it turned out the way it did.
I've never played a 20J with an upright bell, so I can't speak to that. I've heard them, and they always seem loud. I can't figure if that is because the folks who buy 2xJ's play loud, or because the instruments make everything loud. The Holton has a lovely soft touch.
Rick "finding some unusual details in the valve alignments" Denney