My bacterial respiratory infection started to finally clear up about a week ago but, as is typical when your immune system is compromised, a head cold decided to take up residence on its heels. I had one day of feeling decent and getting some sleep and then it was right back into not being able to breathe for another 4 or 5 days. However, by the time the weekend came around, I felt well enough to head over to Baltimore Brass to see if they had anything of interest in stock.
This was my first visit to this particular store and they had roughly 50 or so new and used trumpets on display. In particular, their website indicated they had an Edwards Generation II, a 1963 King Super 20, and an Adams A4L, all of which I was looking forward to trying. I walked in, figured out where the trumpet section was and quickly sized up the display.
The first one I tried was the Super 20 and I have to say it made a very favorable impression on me. In fact, I played it the longest of the three. It was in very good condition for its age. The silver plating was healthy, but it did have a few very minor dents and probable previous repairs. One interesting characteristic was the angle of the first valve slide and the thumb ring which was very comfortable. I intended for the first few notes to be a comfortable mezzo forte. The Super 20 had something else in mind entirely and hit me with a solid forte right in the forehead after bouncing off the wall of the practice room. I liked it -- quite the bold voice. Slotting required very little adjustment from what I am currently accustomed. The valves were great with smooth, quick travel and good compression. The sound was focused with a lot of core and I immediately felt like playing something symphonic or concert band-ish with it which I did. This Super 20 was an excellent horn.
The Edwards Generation II had the best valves on the day. This should come as no surprise given their relationship to Getzen. Other than that, though, I found nothing else particularly memorable other than its modular and flexible design. Maybe if I was in the market for one horn which I could tweak to my heart's content, this might be a consideration. I guess I'd say that it played like a good Eterna which certainly is not a bad thing to say at all, but I already have that more than covered with my Sev.
And finally, I picked up the A4L... with a forklift. Man, I was NOT expecting that kind of weight. To Adams' credit, however, the weight distribution and balance was spot-on so I didn't notice it much while playing. I've never played on an Adams instrument before and I came away impressed. At one point I was skipping around between registers and, without really trying, I was overshooting into clear slots in the upper register -- nice. Playing the A4L would require some adjustment on my part, but it was very easy to play and it seemed pretty flexible in terms of tone/style. I tried a few different mouthpieces and the horn definitely conformed to their respective characteristics. I will definitely be looking into Adams trumpets in the future.
All in all, I enjoyed my visit to Baltimore Brass and it was a good way to start getting back in to the swing of playing after my illness.
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