Pete Freedman Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 Great thread. What about student/marching vs. step-up/intermediate vs. pro? Is it true that Cadets get a free upgrade to Xeno (Yamaha pro brass line) as a sponsorship consideration? Who else is marching pro brass? I imagine some/many open class corps are marching a mixture of brands? Any 50 year old Olds Ambassadors out there? Might be better than some of the new stuff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jameseuph Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 All the Yamaha groups have Xeno series trumpets. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbass598 Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 I'm really surprised that Spirit didn't work a deal since they are on Kanstul brass now. Tama does not have front ensemble equipment yet for the full package deal that corps look for. They did have a marimba to demo at WGI this year so I know its in development but I wouldn't expect to see a world class corps go Tama until the marimbas, vibes, xylophone and maybe even timpani and glock get made by either Tama or a partner brand like Dynasty has with Bergerault or Mapex has with Majestic. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SummerBandFan Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 I'm really surprised that Spirit didn't work a deal since they are on Kanstul brass now. Tama is still working on a front line, I suspect once that is solidified they will make the jump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Freedman Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 All the Yamaha groups have Xeno series trumpets. See that's the thing: I think Yamaha sponsors these corps because they know kids around the country will buy Yamaha student gear expecting that same sound. As with the other brands. But that sound is created with pro equipment (and true grit), which is going to make more of a difference than Yamaha vs. King. Q: Why doesn't Schilke sponsor a drum corps? A: Because they don't make a student horn to promote with it. I sound like I'm criticizing this, but I find it more interesting than problematic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroopAlum12 Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Great thread. What about student/marching vs. step-up/intermediate vs. pro? Is it true that Cadets get a free upgrade to Xeno (Yamaha pro brass line) as a sponsorship consideration? Who else is marching pro brass? I imagine some/many open class corps are marching a mixture of brands? Any 50 year old Olds Ambassadors out there? Might be better than some of the new stuff... I think all of the corps, World Class at least, march pro lines only. Some of them are marching-specific (like the King System Blue stuff), but they would still be considered well above student-grade horns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsubone Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Has anyone tested out the Adams brass stuff yet? Since they're known for their front ensemble stuff, would be interesting to see a corps go to them for their musical needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsubone Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 See that's the thing: I think Yamaha sponsors these corps because they know kids around the country will buy Yamaha student gear expecting that same sound. As with the other brands. But that sound is created with pro equipment (and true grit), which is going to make more of a difference than Yamaha vs. King. I sound like I'm criticizing this, but I find it more interesting than problematic. The trumpets seem to be the only ones that Yamaha provides as pro models. All the rest of their marching brass comes in one model only. There are a few grades of trumpets though, the intermediate level stuff really isn't bad. On the Xeno front, the trombones SCV used were not Xeno-class, but the one right below it. Pretty nice horns, and much cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad T. Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Well, many of you will be pleased to know that Dynasty has ended production of marching brass and bugles. Parts are also NLA from Dynasty. The Bb/F marching brass can still be ordered direct from Weril in Brazil, however the horn cost plus shipping would kill any benefit to their horns. Kanstul is in apparent financial trouble from rumblings I've heard, so hopefully they can pull through. Sadly Yamaha and Jupiter have put all the other names (minus King) out of business with their ridiculous price points, sponsorships, and package deals. This is a shame because I find Yamaha and Jupiter to both be garbage. I haven't played a Yamaha marching only tuba, but their 4/4 convertible in concert setup played like absolute @$$. The tone was thin, and it felt like playing into a sewer pipe, no back pressure in the low end, no intonation in the high end. I was sorely disappointed by this horn. I have also played the Jupiter marching tuba, AKA the really bad clone of Zig Kanstul's BBb 5/4 marching tuba. Aside from the fact you can push dents in and out of the brass with your bare hands and gentle pressure, the bell rim gets flat on every horn I've seen. Playing wise, it was a tremendous disappointment. There's nowhere for your air to go. The sound presence is just not there. I haven't played King marching brass aside from the K series line of bugles which are basically the Rolls Royces of non-chromatic marching brass (played a K-20 and K-90, own a K-50 and K-70). I also own a number of DEG/Dynasty bugles. Used to own a 3v 4/4 DEG Contra. It was an average horn. I had to use a small mouthpiece to get any volume out of it. I've also played the giant 5/4 4 valve DEG Contra bugle. That's a great horn. Deep tone, full presence, edgy with more volume. I love Kanstul brass. I've played many of their bugles and some of their regular horns, and everything they build plays pretty much as I expect. The Kanstul bugles and Bb/F marching brass are all based loosely on the K series bugles, so their characteristics are similar. I really think, aside from the copious G vs Bb arguments here, that the issue with sound production in corps these days is the inferior horns being used. The last time I heard a tuba line I could hear clearly was Madison 2010 with 20 tubas. All the corps rushed to get synths on the field, and the reason is clear, to me at least: to cover up the lack of body these horns provide. I've stopped by Cadets rehearsals and they sound amazing. But they are lacking a volume and presence I am expecting from such talented musicians. The synths add that presence back in. Spirit has released a few clips of ensemble and even the crappy little clips had a certain magic to them! I could hear their tubas loud and clear and the high brass had that sizzle. It was refreshing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad T. Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Has anyone tested out the Adams brass stuff yet? Since they're known for their front ensemble stuff, would be interesting to see a corps go to them for their musical needs. Different arenas, but Rhythm X Winds used a line of Adams Brass this year in WGI Winds. They sounded decent on them. Also, the Guardians have at least two Schiller marching tubas that were donated to them. I don't know much about Schiller or Wessex Tubas which also makes various marching brass clones. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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