Dynasty Trumpet

[John Schmitt]

"If you play your trumpet (or any other brass instrument) without constantly tweaking your tuning slides, you're not playing a trumpet, you're just making noise.

They're called "tuning slides" for a reason."

I'm not saying you won't need to move the 3rd and sometimes 1st valve slides a little from time to time while playing. The point is that a good trumpet doesn't need a tune any note slide you can move while playing.

[QuebecSOP]

Thank you for your answer.

Well, as I can see, almost everybody are agree to say that the Tubas, Baritones and Mellophones from Dynasty are good instrument for the price. That exactely what i had in mind.

Unfortunately, the trumpet don't seem to fit in the global package !!!!

I find some other trumpets in the same fork of price. What do you think about those trumpet ?

1- Amati ATR 604HS Heavy weight trumpet.

2- Blessing ML1 Artist

3- Besson 1110

Or do you have any other suggestion for my trumpet section. I can spend only a maximum of 700$ per trumpet and the instrument have to be silver plated.

Thank you very much.

We need this brass section as soon as possible.

P.S.: Do you know any drum corps or marching band who sell their Bb horn line ?

[Jeff]

Trumpets/sopranos have a difficult time blending in a drum corps brass choir due to their cylindrical nature. The rest of the choir mellophone, baritone, euphonium, and tuba/contra are conically based. Intonation is also more noticeable in the upper frequencies, so blending, balance, and intonation for a trumpet section is always an issue in a drum corps regardless of instrument brand.

I'm on staff with the Bushwackers and we play the regular Dynasty trumpets without the tuning feature in a .460 bore. They now make .464 and .468 models as well. We did take high brass using the Dynasty trumpet that appears to get little love here on DCP. If you heard our corps at DCA, you can get an idea of how they can sound. Reading Bucs and Minnesota Brass also use Dynasty brass and play quite well also. Minnesota was able to scream in the upper register and Reading gets a dark sonority for their classical program. The Dynasty trumpet can blend, balance, and be played in tune IMHO.

Dynasty has greatly improved the quality of their brass instruments in the past few years and they are a great value compared to other marching trumpets. They are made by Weril in Brazil in a new plant that opened a few years ago. Weril is trying to step up and be a player in the world market. They have a Regium professional line of instruments that are said to be quite nice, although I haven't played one. Marcus Printup, a fine jazz player, uses Regium and Johnny Grass, the outstanding soloist for Sky alumni, played one at DCA I&E.

As far as the micro tuning (tune any note) feature and the need for one on a trumpet, there are varied opinions. These were added onto bugles way back before we had three valves and the ability to tune pitches by using alternate fingerings and/or 1st and 3rd valve slides. The Olds Ultratone valve rotary bugles incorporated this way back in the late 1960's. The tune any note feature was designed to sharpen notes, opposed to using the first and third valve slides to flatten pitches. This facilitated the Ab-G# played with the first valve off the open Bb (flat) partial. Corps began using this to tune other notes that were flat on the bugle.

This tradition has carried on in the drum corps world and the Blue Devils are prime practioners of the art of using the micro tuner. You might want to ask Wayne Downey for more information as he designed the Dynasty trumpet and writes a Brass Advantage column here on DCP.

When you buy Dynasty brass you also get great support. Al Murray and Paul Collins are always there to back up what they sell and Paul is a master repairman.

Jeff Mitchell

Edited September 8, 2006 by Jeff

[QuebecSOP]

Thank you Jeff for your answer about the Dynasty trumpet.

I also have a Werill trumpet in my Wardrobe. I did my college year with that monstruous green trumpet

Therefore I still not totally convinced by the quality of the Dynasty trumpet. All the groups I heard who played with those trumpet suffered of constant lack of warmth in their sound as soon as they play more than forte and the intonations issues was way more noticeable than other groups with other brand of trumpet. Then tone color was uneven throughout the register and troughout the dynamics. Those issues bother me a lot. Also the sound of those trumpet don't seem to "stand togheter", the sound seem to spread really easily. Those are my own opinion based on what I heard.

I wonder if it will be possible to try a Dynasty trumpet before buying 24 of those. So I will be able to have my own opinion on the instrument.

You know, most of my player are come back player who didn't play for more than 25 years So I need an instrument that they will be able to handle and an instrument with good intonation.

By the way, if we buy Lacquer instrument, we will save more thant 11000$ so we will be able to buy better trumpet. So forget the Amati, Blessing and Besson I've listed above.

There is my new choices

1- Yamaha YTR 4335G

2- VanCleave MV2 or MV3

3- Getzen Capri 590

4- King Silver Flair

5- Conn Constellation

6- King 1117 Ultimate

7- Dynasty 503M, if I can try one prior to buying them!!!

One again thank you for your answer and to try to understand my english :P

[Kamarag]

From what I've seen of Deg Euphs, I marched a 2 valve prototype in junior corps, and it had a nice sound, but intonation was really whacked on it. I own a Deg 3 valve G Euph, which I bought used of course. It's much stuffier than my Kanstul, but seems to have better intonation in the high end. I've gotten rather spoiled with my Kanstul 3 valve G Euph with it's tune any note slide. I also got a Deg 3 valve Bb Euph this year and it's better than the Deg G Euph, but not as good as the Kanstul G in terms of lack of stuffyness. The Deg Bb Euph does seem to have the best intonation so far, but I really haven't played it that much.

I played the Dynasty Bb euph with the Reading Buccaneers, and I loved it. I didn't experience any stuffiness, and intonation was far superior to anything I've ever played in G. They were also very consistant from horn to horn. The regular baris are every bit as good too.

The Kanstul is a fine horn, but the cost is completely rediculous. I also like the King 1124 baritone, but I have not played thier new euph for more than a few minutes (at the King booth in Boston at DCI 2005). It seemed fine, but no better or worse than the Dynasty.

Edited September 9, 2006 by Kamarag

[regularsopguy]

There is my new choices

1- Yamaha YTR 4335G

2- VanCleave MV2 or MV3

3- Getzen Capri 590

4- King Silver Flair

5- Conn Constellation

6- King 1117 Ultimate

7- Dynasty 503M, if I can try one prior to buying them!!!

One again thank you for your answer and to try to understand my english :P

You left out the kanstul 700 (new ones are about $800 each and are great! my school has four)

and the besson brevette or meha (even the used ones are inexpensive and worht fixing up)

I heard that Academy played specially made kanstuls based on the old besson.

um, i think that the "king silver flair" and the "conn constellaton" are actually the same horn now from Conn-selmer.

[regularsopguy]

I played the Dynasty Bb euph with the Reading Buccaneers, and I loved it. I didn't experience any stuffiness, and intonation was far superior to anything I've ever played in G. They were also very consistant from horn to horn. The regular baris are every bit as good too.

The Kanstul is a fine horn, but the cost is completely rediculous. I also like the King 1124 baritone, but I have not played thier new euph for more than a few minutes (at the King booth in Boston at DCI 2005). It seemed fine, but no better or worse than the Dynasty.

a new kanstul baritone is about $2400 but thats the list price (like a car, band instruments often have a "suggested retail price") a local school bought new kanstul baritones (Bb) for about 1650 each.

woodwnd and brasswind has the king bari and the yamaha for about the same price.

the blessing and dynasty are almost half the price but you get what you pay for I thnk.

kanstul bugles are another story. i think their more expensive than dynastys but they are much better.

[KungFuCharlie]

You left out the kanstul 700 (new ones are about $800 each and are great! my school has four)

and the besson brevette or meha (even the used ones are inexpensive and worht fixing up)

I heard that Academy played specially made kanstuls based on the old besson.

um, i think that the "king silver flair" and the "conn constellaton" are actually the same horn now from Conn-selmer.

I'm pretty sure you can put the Benge 65-B up there along with the Silver Flair and Connstellation. Back when those companies were independent, those were different horns, but alas, they're now just copies. :( Kanstul has recreated some of the old pre-UMI Benge and Conn designs.

[mchromik]

There is my new choices

1- Yamaha YTR 4335G

2- VanCleave MV2 or MV3

3- Getzen Capri 590

4- King Silver Flair

5- Conn Constellation

6- King 1117 Ultimate

7- Dynasty 503M, if I can try one prior to buying them!!!

One again thank you for your answer and to try to understand my english :P

You might want to take a look at the Kanstul COL103 trumpet that is part of their marching brass line. It is a big bored big belled sucker that must take some serious air to play. I personally haven't tried one, but every Kanstul horn I have ever seen or tried was well built and played outstandingly well. I have tried the Yamaha Xenos and their newer (203/204) mellos. Both of which are fantastic horns, but probably out of your price range.

I have to agree with one of the above posters. For the money the Dynastys seem like an outstanding buy. With the Div 1 corps selling off their horns every year or so, you might get a good deal on one of the King or Yamaha corps used horns.

[lowend]

The Kantul can cause some issues with your sound if you're not strong enough to handle it. Given that their people are mostly comeback players, I'd be wary of that.

Look around and see if any of the Top 12 DCI corps are selling off their Yamahas this year. I know that Spirit has gone to Yamaha trumpets while keeping the rest of their line on Kanstuls.