Posted by Rick Denney on June 14, 2000 at 00:49:34:
In another thread, I posed the question about which BBb horns seem to have that quality peculiar to the Chicago York and Jay Bertolet's Nirschl (and maybe a few others) of being a horn that makes a bigger sound than the effort required would suggest.
One person suggested a big Rudy Meinl. That's the opposite of what I'm thinking. Certainly it is a fine horn, and I have more talented friends who sound wonderful on it, but I doubt I'll ever be able to explore its capabilities.
Another suggested an old four-valve front-action York Master. But these seem so rare, and are subject to such competition and age-related illness when they do turn up. That person also suggested a.) a short leadpipe, b.) a large bottom bow, and c.) a large bell throat as being three characteristics that seem to follow horns than "get 6/4 coming out with 4/4 going in."
The choices seem limited to a few horns that are readily available: a King 2341, a Conn something-J, and the like. All these horns have a bore a little less than .7 inches, and the outer branches are a bit smaller than what I'm thinking about. The King has appeal to me because it is a very different horn than my Miraphone, and I'm looking for something in BBb that will be useful in different situations where the Miraphone is to, well, Germanic. Plus, I'd like something in piston valves for a change.
Then someone brings up the VMI 3301, and looking at it on VMI's web page seems to indicate that this may be the horn. It looks like it follows the general plan of a York Master (not a copy, just a resemblance), with a bore of .75 inches and what seem to be larger outer branches than a King or a Conn. Is this the horn that has the efficiency I'm seeking? Or is it known to require the player to, let's say, rise to the horn rather than bringing the player along.
It will probably be a year before I'm ready to buy a horn (and I may never be ready for a new VMI), but I want to build a list of possibilities now so that when the opportunities arise to blow these horns I'll take advantage of them. Plus, I want to fill my head with as many preconceived notions as possible so that I can sound like an expert without even having played the damn things, and so that I won't even be listening to myself when I try them out. (It's a joke, you can laugh now. Okay, maybe not.)
Rick "Pondering new directions" Denney