The final horn in my trumpet trial arrived yesterday. Following are first impressions and a recording:
CONN VINTAGE ONE (1BR)

As you may be able to tell from the picture above, this is the "rose brass" model. It's a nice looking horn, but without sufficient lighting it can be a bit hard to tell the difference between the regular brass and the rose brass bell color.
Like the Getzen, this horn will take some getting used to due to its physical characteristics. The ring on the first valve slide interferes with my normal grip. If I do end up with this horn, I'll have to have it removed. Also, since the valves are nearly flush with the casing when depressed, it's difficult for me to play flat fingered --something which I do fairly often. I know… bad habit!
The valves started out VERY stiff, even worse than the Getzen. After a lot of oil and movement, they have improved a little. They're still stiff enough that I have to pound them down while playing fast passages, causing undesired horn movement. I do have hope, though, that they will get better during the next week. The Getzen valves, for instance, have already begun to loosen up nicely.
PLAY TESTS
For your convenience, all recordings are listed below. The Conn recording is the only new one...
- Conn Vintage One (1BR)
- My current Bach trumpet
- New Getzen Eterna 900S
- New Yamaha Xeno 8335