Can someone explain the G Bugles?

[JonW]

My 40 yr old Olds Ultratone p/r sop still has quite a bit of life left in it - rich, powerful tones. Several years of "on-the-field" service under it's bell.

I really do like my trumpet, but I love my bugle

[shhmatt]

I know, but I always rather own than lease, plus I'm not sure how much the corps themselves get from resale.

Based on the preliminary quotes that I got from Yamaha last fall for their marching horns, Crown is selling their used horns for more than the quoted price I got. (And I only looked at Crown's store today, the last time I looked at all of the used DCI horns on sale, they were pretty much the same price)

But take those preliminary quotes with a grain of salt, we never got past the preliminary stages of looking at horns.

Edited August 22, 2013 by shhmatt

[Dash Fieldpaint]

Are the models really IMPROVING so much now? I mean, 10 years ago... Yea! Now? I'm not in the loop to know.

Yes they are.

http://systemblue.org/brass/

I heard some serious G quality power coming from the Blue Devils bari/euph line in 2012 using these new euphonium hybrids. 2013 might have had the same power, but I didn't hear it. Or to be more accurate: feel it.

[fsubone]

Are the models really IMPROVING so much now? I mean, 10 years ago... Yea! Now? I'm not in the loop to know.

Also, if the instruments are built well, they will be fine. Remember Star of Indiana used 1 set of instruments during their entire DCI tenure.

If you take care of things, they should last if they're quality.

I don't want to get onto a tangent on the disposable society of today versus the past (... and I mean 100 years ago) where things were made to last, but there seems to be that aspect going on here a little.

They are still making improvements on the instruments, a lot of it comes from feedback from the corps. Say a corps finds that a weld keeps breaking in one spot, they'll tell the manufacturer, and they'll try and fix it for the next year's model.

I'm sure that they can last years, most corps don't replace their entire line every year. Usually trumpets and baris and most common, then mellos, then finally euphs and tubas. So they'll put the lines up for sale every year or two, and the ones that they don't sell, they'll continue using, and replace what they need to. At least that's how it usually works. I think the corps that use instruments like the Xeno or equivalent trumpets find them the easiest to sell, since they're the only instruments that can transfer straight from the field to a concert hall

[JimF-LowBari]

My 40 yr old Olds Ultratone p/r sop still has quite a bit of life left in it - rich, powerful tones. Several years of "on-the-field" service under it's bell.

I really do like my trumpet, but I love my bugle

Have an Olds Duratone (flat/matte finish) P/R Bari built 1974 and only problem is the rubber on the rotor is hard and "clanks" if I'm not careful playing. Great tone and thinking of doing an Alumni show with it in 2014. But IIRC Olds did make one of the best set of horns at the time. Had to be careful not to overblow but that wasn't too hard once you got used to listening to your own playing.

Edited August 22, 2013 by JimF-LowBari

[MikeD]

Have an Olds Duratone (flat/matte finish) P/R Bari built 1974 and only problem is the rubber on the rotor is hard and "clanks" if I'm not careful playing. Great tone and thinking of doing an Alumni show with it in 2014. But IIRC Olds did make one of the best set of horns at the time. Had to be careful not to overblow but that wasn't too hard once you got used to listening to your own playing.

I believe I played on an Olds Ultratone V/R baritone my one year on horn in Garfield, 1972. If I could play it...it HAD to be easy! :smile:/>

[JimF-LowBari]

I believe I played on an Olds Ultratone V/R baritone my one year on horn in Garfield, 1972. If I could play it...it HAD to be easy! :smile:/>/>

So easy.... even a trombone player could do it..... Yeah guess what I played in MB.

Thinking about it I played a rare 2 valve (valves were horizontal) Tenor(?) Bari in my first corps. Then Westshoremen had borrowed piston/slide Baris (huge, clunky, hard on the teeth) until the Olds P/Rs came in. NO wonder why I liked the lighter P/R....

[Hawkeye]

From what I understand from talking to alums of various corps, DCI made the switch to 3 valves off of two valevs by number of sections, that way nobody had to purchase all new horns. They allowed you to use one section of three valves, then two, etc. I think the switch to Bb/F kind of happened overnight, because they added the rule that said "any key". Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. I'm 19, haven't been around long enough to know all the history first hand.

[JimF-LowBari]

From what I understand from talking to alums of various corps, DCI made the switch to 3 valves off of two valevs by number of sections, that way nobody had to purchase all new horns. They allowed you to use one section of three valves, then two, etc. I think the switch to Bb/F kind of happened overnight, because they added the rule that said "any key". Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. I'm 19, haven't been around long enough to know all the history first hand.

Not sure about G to Bb but believe you are right on the going 2v to 3v. Also think by sections was used when DCI started going from piston/rotor to 2v in the late 70s. I remember seeing 2v at 1979 DCI East Prelims when we stopped for a few hours on the way to a DCA show.

[Soprano Martin]

Thinking about it I played a rare 2 valve (valves were horizontal) Tenor(?) Bari in my first corps. Then Westshoremen had borrowed piston/slide Baris (huge, clunky, hard on the teeth) until the Olds P/Rs came in. NO wonder why I liked the lighter P/R....

Rare is right! That's one bugle I've not been able to find yet. I've been working on making myself a set of Sopranos, with one each of single locking valve - 3 valve. Missing the two horizontal piston horn, as well as a G/D piston rotor sop. Oh well, all in good time.