Within the last couple weeks, I came across two horns that I couldn't refuse. The first I found on eBay. Coincidentally, I recognized the name of the seller who is a brass repairman that has a channel on YouTube which I've watched a few times. It looked to be in pretty good physical shape with the original lacquer and at a fair price. The fact that it was also one of my "bucket list" trumpets made the decision for me. What was it? An F.E. Olds & Son R-10 Recording from likely 1954 based on the serial number. After playing it for about an hour when I received it, I can now see exactly why these are so revered. It is a very capable trumpet across almost all genres. I tend toward liking more commercial sounding horns, but this trumpet covers that sort of work as well as jazz and pops/orchestral work, particularly with the right mouthpiece. You know that initial, triumphant B♭ blared out by Maurice Murphy of the London Symphony Orchestra at the beginning of Star Wars...

Featuring: Reunion Blues Continental Triple Trumpet Case qPress Charlier's 36 Plus After realizing that I was rapidly running out of real estate when it comes to trumpet cases I decided to do some looking around for a more compact alternative. I needed something that would hold at least two trumpets, but preferably three with good protection and without placing a lot of stress on the instruments. Options are all over the map in terms of size, shape, protection, and the factor that many of us really care about most: cost. A quick search and, like mouthpieces, I'm besieged with manufacturers: Marcus Bonna, Torpedo, WolfPak, Protec, Bags of Spain, Gard, Glenn Cronkhite Eastman, SKB... and arguably the very first manufacturer of professional trumpet gig bags, Reunion Blues. After looking at the offerings from all of the aforementioned, I settled on the Reunion Blues Continental Triple Trumpet Case. The interior is a light blue quilted velvet which is flexibly partit...

I did not expect to have anything else in terms of gear to talk about this month, but an arrival today is worth mentioning. If you have never heard of Messina Covers, I'm not surprised -- it's a small Ebay business. What do they make? They simply make the best leadpipe and mouthpiece covers and bags! Their bags are made out of durable cordura with 3/4 inch foam. They come in single, duel, triple, quadruple, quintuple, and hextuple in a variety of colors with prices ranging from $10 to $25 (shipping is a reasonable $2). The best part is they will embroider your initials on the bags for free  in either block or script letters in a color of your choice. The bags provide tough padding and are divided to keep your mouthpieces from clanging into one another. Today I received my second Messina Covers mouthpiece bag (a quintuple) to go along with my quad which I got a few months ago. I am absolutely thrilled with how great these bags are and I highly recommend them if you are lo...

Featuring: Stomvi S14A VR Vs, Bob Reeves 41/dF Flugelhorn Mouthpiece, Lynn Nicholson XPiece and Reversible Rim Every few months, I plan to make a post such as this one titled, The Buzz . Here I will summarize any recent gear acquisitions, things I am testing, and brief thoughts on such things. This month I have been working via phone and email with K.O. Skinsnes of Stomvi USA on a new mouthpiece purchase. K.O. knows a thing or two about mouthpieces and mouthpiece design having worked with/for the great Bob Reeves in the past. I really like K.O.'s approach to mouthpiece design and the way he works to find the best match for a given person. I initially spent about 45 minutes on the phone with him (incredibly generous that he spent that kind of time with me) explaining my needs and my history, both successes and failures, specifically with previous mouthpieces. Like just about everyone else, I wanted to increase my endurance/efficiency. After chatting a while, ...