Dave

Everything is Al Gore's fault.

No, the "not real instruments" thing was a drum corps urban legend. There just was a lot less legal action going on then, plus there was not a big accessible database of what corps were playing for composers to look at and find out what pieces of theirs were being used without permission.

Cornets are conical instruments, but G sopranos are cylindrical, so there would definitely be a timbre change there.

Only if the corps carries a stock of tetanus vaccine in the equipment truck.

Honestly...$50-$100 from a collector. There's little demand for such instruments, hence why there weren't many made.

The only one one the market now that I'm aware of is the Dynasty. I've never played it, so I don't have any idea of its quality, but I know the price runs on the cheaper side for sousas, around $4000.

With all due respect, would you say that if these horns had been built in conjunction with any other corps? I don't think so. Having gotten to look at these horns up close and give them a good run, I consider them very solid all-around horns very suitable to the field. They had a very good weight and balance from the sopranos to the contras and were designed to give a great advantage to the players. My hope is that Conn-Selmer can find a way to be competitive on the business side with these horns. They don't give horns away, and they've lost a lot of their corps market-share to Jupiter which has been doing so with their own, mediocre-to-decent offerings. I still am partial to the Kanstuls because of reasons I've listed here before, but the SBs are a great addition to the marching brass world. As for the mouthpieces, I haven't gotten to hear them but knowing what I do about Devils' brass technique, anything that "takes away from low range" would not be on the list of design plans they brought to the table. The mouthpieces bear some physical resemblance to the GW stainless steel mouthpieces, with no definable rim cut out from the cup as is the usual style of Bach mouthpieces. It makes for an interesting marketing gimmick, though, especially in this day and age when appearance is becoming such a big deal to make you stand out. If they really want to make a big break into the high school marching world, they ought to add a four-valve sousaphone to their offering since most marching bands don't go for the contras.

I don't think anyone ever said they don't matter. After all, parades are some of the most public things corps do. That doesn't mean they don't suck hardcore, though.

A Willson? You mean a Dynasty? You can probably get a Tuxedo bag to fit it, and I think it's about the right size to fit a Pro-Tec euphonium case too. Otherwise, just contact your local music retailer and see if they can either order you a case from DEG, or from SKB or someone like that for your horn.

I've always felt the opposite. The King is too far forward, the S-neck design results in it sitting out farther than it ought to and therefore is very front-heavy, while the Kanstul is exactly where it should be for good balance.

... Wow. There's a reason they call it "the suck." This adds a new level of insanity to that.

Gotta give Kanstul the win on this one. The new SB Kings are great too, gave the new contra a spin at the Conn-Selmer plant a couple weeks ago and it plays and feels great.

It's on the II/III finals recording from that year, although personally I think the prelims recording is a better one.

Blue Stars was A60/what later became Division III at the time, and won their first championship with that show. 2000 was my rookie year; initially we were planning to play another show but ironically, permission for that piece fell through, so we changed plans to Carmina Burana. http://www.corpsreps.com

Become a solid player and a solid marcher. You don't have to have every aspect of their individual technique down, but if you are teachable and a hard worker, you'll do fine. People have this picture of incredibly difficult auditions to get into corps, and honestly if you're a well-practiced player you'll be fine; it's drive and determination that make the cut at the end of the day.

Because you've never been able to demonstrate, in any way, that he doesn't. You've just thrown out conjecture about a corps and corps director who have, frankly, a stellar reputation for keeping their financial ducks in a row compared to a lot of other organizations. Quite frankly, it seems like you're arguing just to hear yourself argue.

With all due respect to yourself, Stu, Bob Jacobs isn't a drum corps rookie and he has maintained his corps' viability through a lot of years. I'm reasonably confident that he isn't going to put his kids into a bad situation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LDSDGg1rc8

Yeah, and what is anyone supposed to do about it? The only way to stop leaving germs in a wind instrument is to...well, stop playing them. Some guy was using this kind of scare tactic to run an "instrument santizing" scam in a bunch of states for a while until people finally caught on that their instruments were "sterile" for about twenty seconds. If you pull a clarinet out of the attic after twenty years, you probably need to take it to a repairman anyway to get a repad but also to get it cleaned up, because it will be nasty. But if you're playing regularly and doing what you ought to in order to keep your instrument clean you'll be fine, and any used instruments you rent from a reputable dealer will have been adjusted and sterilized after they were returned by the previous renter.

You're mad because you're not getting what you want and you're pointing fingers at others as the "instant gratification generation?"

How does that logically follow? That was the way corps shows were done for years before. I don't really care one way or another about the idea, but your objection seems extreme.

Got to check these and the new contras out at TMEA, very nicely done. I talked with John Meehan and the CS marching brass rep for a bit about them, and I like the way the contra feels; it's got a real nice weight and balance without sacrificing the solid construction a good marching horn needs. I also like that they put the fourth valve where it belongs, in line with the other valves. A definite step up from the Ultimate contras. Unfortunately, the leadpipe had gotten separated from the horn somehow during the process of shipping everything to the show, so I wasn't able to play it. I'm no bari player so I don't know if I'm qualified to give a good comparison playing-wise to other models, but it sounds and feels very good; I like the general idea behind the horn and I'll be curious to hear how it sounds on the field. On the flip side, that Jupiter contra is a heavy #####. I'd be curious to know what sort of brass they're using versus the Kanstuls they've copied, and if they're trying to make up for using cheaper brass with extra bracing and soldering. It blows fine, but it just isn't as well-balanced as a real Kanstul. It definitely feels solid though.

They probably used the flat symbol in some font the browser can't render. I'm more curious about what a "singing bowl" is.

Indeed. Certainly, players seek out horns that shore up their weak points and emphasize the strong aspects of their playing, especially as it relates to whatever they happen to be performing. But by and large you're going to sound like you regardless, it's just a matter of how easy it is to make that sound.

Hopefully they'll have some prototypes at TMEA. I'll be very interested to see these horns and compare them to their previous offerings.